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23  WES  r  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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n 
□ 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagee 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pellicul6a 


D 
D 
D 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul^eK 


D 
D 


□ 


/ 


w 


D 


Cover  title  niiesing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 


V 


n    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


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□ 

D 

n 

D 
D 


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D 


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Ce  document  est  film^  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


/ 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


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or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  film6s  en  commandant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  uno  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
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la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^(meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning   "END  "). 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


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right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  §tre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  etre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  ii  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  h  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  necessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


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'^^^>'"^^EXT  to  his  own  State  the  interest  of  the  Amer- 
ican citizen  is  centered  in  the  National  Capi- 
ital ;  in  that  city  of  cities,  abont  wliich  so 
many  associations  cluster,  and  which  repre- 
sents so  much  to  vhis  country  and  the  world 
at  large  through  the  transactions  of  its  vari- 
^I^^^t^  ous  departments — executive,  legislative,  judicial. 
Though  it  is  presumed  that  all  are,  in  a  general 
way,  familiar  with  the  Federal  City  and  its  attract- 
ive environments,  we  trust  that  a  brief  sketch  of  this  interesting 
locality  will  be  appreciated,  not  only  by  all  who  are  acquainted 
with  its  scenes,  but  by  tliose  who  have  never  enjoyed  the  pleas- 
ure of  a  personal  visit. 

We,  as  a  Nation,  have  passed  the  first  centennial  of  Presi- 
dential administration — "a  government  of  the  people,  b}-  the 
people  and  for  the  people'' — and,  in  turn,  each  Chief  Executive 
lias  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  with  a  fixed  policy  set 
steadfastly  before  his  view,  which  it  has  been  his  high  piirpo.se 
to  carry  to  a  successful  issue.  How  exalted  and  honorable  the 
position,  yet  how  fraught  svith  responsibility! 

Glancing  backward  over  the  intervening  years  since  the 
oath  of  office  was  administered  to  the  Nation's  first  Chief  Magis- 
trate, on  April  30,  1789,  Time's  hand  has  wrought  marvelous 
changes  in  this  land  of  ours,  in  the  growth  and  development  of 
its  then  unknown  resources ;  but  the  broad  foundations  of  gov- 
eninient,  laid  in  tribulation   and  anxiety,  but  with  honesty   of 

IMsi.  of  Columbia.  1  ~ 


"•  ""-111 


PRKKACK — DISTRICT    OK   COI.UMRIA. 


purpo.se  and  patriotic  zeal,  have  never  been  sliaken  by    forcij^Mi 
assault  or  civil  tumult. 

A  brief  bioj^raphical  sketch  of  these  Representatives  of  the 
Nation,  which  sets  forth,  in  addition  to  the  life,  a  few  iniporluiu 
facts  connected  with  each  administration,  will,  we  trust,  be  also 
appreciated. 

Amonjif  our  readers  will  be  found  a  larji^e  number  who  arc 
interested  in  tlic  organization  known  as  the  Grand  Army  of  thf 
Republic,  and  it  has  been  our  pleasure  to  furnish  a  brief  history 
of  that  Order  from  its  inception  down  to  the  present  time.  Tlie 
sketches  of  the  formation  and  growth  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tiaii  Association,  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  Society 
of  Christian  Endeavor,  Epworth  League  and  Baptist  Younjf 
People's  Union  of  America  will  also  .speak  to  many  interested 
readers. 

To  present  to  the  public,  through  this  medium,  late  and 
reliable  data,  relative  to  subjects  of  such  general  interest  as  the 
above-mentioned,  has  been  the  purpose  of 

The  Author. 


The ©DistPict® of® Columbia. f^r-  % 


CHAPTER   I. 


«*. 


ESTABIJSHMENT  OF  A   FEDERAL  CITY. 


^,  UR  direst  necessities  are  often  "blessings  in 
l^^  disguise,"  for  the  effort  to  escape  from  uufor- 
'  tunate  environments  may  be  the  "opening 
wedge"  which  breaks  down  the  barriers  so 
seemingly  impregnable  when  viewed  in  the 
light  of  timidity  and  self-distrust.  Thus  was  the  con- 
ception of  the  Nation's  Capital  the  outgrowth  of  the 
.Nation's  need,  and  in  almost  desperate  self-defense  was 
Congress  driven  to  an  undertaking  which  demanded  vigorous 
])n)sccution,  but,  in  result,  was  the  "  consummation  devoutly  to 
be  wished." 

In  these  nineteenth  centurj'  time.s,  when  the  country  is 
rcxeling  in  prosperity  and  at  peace  with  all  the  world,  imagina- 
tion can  scarce  picture  the  scenes  of  those  early  continental  daj'S, 
wlien  there  was  neither  a  Union,  Seat  of  government,  nor  Presi- 
dent. True,  the  English  yoke  had  just  been  cast  aside,  and 
donbtless  the  colonists  were  sincerelv  grateful  for  even  a  cessa- 
tion of  hostilities;  but  the  "Confederacy  of  Thirteen  States," 
which  had  met  a  common  enemy  and  accomplished  its  defeat,  was 
lacking  in  that  unanimity  of  purpose  which  governs  the  com- 
inonwealths  comprising  our  glorious  Nation  of  to-da}'.  Sec- 
tional interests  were  arraj'ing  these  individual  sovereignties 
ai^ainst  each  other;  the  treasury  was  depleted;  still  more  signif- 
icant to  the  country  was  the  condition  of  indebtedness  to  her 
defenders,  which  the  war  had  entailed. 


-»m»u,uumtmmitkm„^mm^ 


Till'.    WFirri'.    CITY 


DISTRICT   OF    COM'MIIIA. 


It  was  June  19,  17^3,  and  Conj/ress  was  in  session  at  IMiihi. 
delphia,  wlicn  a  niessenj;jer  rushed  upon  the  scene  with  the 
annoiT.icenient  tliat  a  company  of  soldiers,  from  Lancaster,  were 
advancing  under  arms  to  demand  of  Conj>;rcss  their  back  pay ; 
these  to  be  followed  by  Annand's  entire  legion,  with  the  saiiic 
object  in  view. 

When  the  appeals  of  Congress  to  the  Executive  Council  of 
Pennsylvania  for  protection  were  met  with  the  announcement  that 
"even  the  State  militia  could  not  be  depended  upon,"  and  that 
"the  soldiers  must  be  allowed  to  enter  the  city,"  there  was  natur- 
ally much  dissatisfaction  expressed,  and  the  declaration  was  niadc 
by  members  of  the  legislature  that,  "  if  the  city  would  not  support 
Congress,  it  was  high  time  to  remove  to  some  other  place." 

For  two  days  the  City  Hall  was  besieged  by  armed  soldiers, 
whose  threatening  aspect  occasioned  the  greatest  alarm.  Finally, 
a  resolution  to  adjourn  to  Princeton,  New  Jersej-,  was  introduced, 
and,  after  several  days  deliberation,  acted  upon.  The  necessity 
for  such  a  step  led  to  a  general  discussion  of  the  subject  by  the 
legislators,  and  on  October  ytli  of  the  same  year,  Elbridge  Gerry, 
of  Massachusetts,  introduced  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that 
"  Buildings  for  the  n.se  of  Congress  shctild  be  erected  on  or  near 
the  banks  of  the  Delaware  or  Potomac  Rivers,  provided  that  a 
suitable  spot  could  be  procured  for  a  Federal  Town,  and  that  the 
right  of  soil  and  exclusive  jurisdiction  should  be  vested  in  the 
United  States." 

This  became  a  law,  though  its  life  was  of  short  duration, 
being  repealed  on  April  26,  1 784 ;  but  the  initator}'  steps  liad 
been  taken,  and  at  the  next  session  of  Congress — the  followiug 
October — three  commissioners  were  appointed  to  "lay  out  a  dis- 
trict on  either  .side  of  the  Delaware."  This  location  met  with 
violent  opposition  from  the  Southern  members,  who  based  tlieir 
objections  largely  upon  the  situation,  with  reason  claiming  that 
the  Federal  City  should  be  as  near  to  the  geographical  center  as 
possible,  as  well  as  the  center  of  population, — the  Delaware  filling 
neither  of  these  conditions.     In  J  *^ nary  1785,  while    Congress 


DISTRICT   ()!•    fOLl'MHIA  —  A    FKDl'.KAI.    I.ITV. 


\\;is  ill  session  in  New  York,  an  attempt  \vav  made  to  locate  the 
capital  on  the  Potomac,  wh'ch  met  with  spirited  resistance  from 
iIk'  Northern  Comnumwealths,  they  claiminjj;-  an  injnstice  in  the 
rt'hitive  position, — nine  States  beinjj^  sitnated  north  of  tliis  h)ca- 
tion  and  fonr  to  the  sonth. 

The  first  definite  steps  taken  toward  the  acquisition  of  a 
permanent  Seat  of  Government  was  the  adoption  of  the  present 
Coastitiition,  in  Septeml)er,  17S7,  wliicli  conclnsively  settled  the 
rrA/// of  the  district.  In  i  7SH,  Maryland,  reco^nii/inj;-  the  ad- 
vanta}i[e  tc  a  State  of  the  h^cation  of  the  National  Capital,  made 
offer  of  "any  district  (not  exceedinj^  ten  miles  square)  which  the 
Congress  may  fix  upon  and  accept  for  the  Scat  of  Government 
of  the  United  »Statcs."  A  matter  of  such  importance  to  the  en- 
tire federation  could  not  be  disposed  of  without  deliberation.  It 
was  debated  at  the  session  of  1789;  and,  while  each  section  vir- 
tually agreed  to  the  general  proposition  that  the  F^ederal  City 
oiti^lif  to  be  centrally  located,  it  is  scarcel}'  to  be  expected  that 
motives  of  self-interest  could  be  entirely  eliminated  from  di.strict 
representation.  The  North  and  vSonth  were  pitted  against  each 
other  on  the  settlement  of  this  important  question ;  tlie  former 
favoring  the  banks  of  the  vSn.squehanna,  while  the  latter  de- 
niaiulcd  the  Delaware  or  the  Potomac.  The  cities  which  had 
entertained  the  Legislature  at  former  sessions,  as  well  as  a  num- 
ber of  other  localities,  had  strong  partisan  supporters,  and  the 
result  of  the  deliberations  of  Congress  pointed  significantly  to 
most  .serious  complications. 

At  the  session  of  1789,  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  the  prize,  lacking  only  the  concurrence  of  the 
Senate  in  a  final  amendment,  which  that  body  decided  to  post- 
pone mitil  the  Congress  following.  Virginia,  as  a  State,  had 
not  been  idle,  and  on  December  3,  1789,  passed  an  Act  granting 
to  Congress  land  on  the  Potomac,  and  pledges  for  the  erection  of 
suitable  buildings, — Maryland  to  concur  in  the  proposition,  and 
render  substantial  assistance. 

The  question  of  " funding  the  public  debt"  was  occupying 


Till".    WIIITK   CITY 


■  DISTRICT    OF   COI,r>ri'>IA. 


tJie  attention  of  the  members,  and  the  Hcnise  luid  rejected  an 
amendment  to  the  effect  that  the  Gcnvnanent  should  assume 
twenty-one  million  dollars  of  vState  debts.  The  North  was 
unitedly  in  favor  of  assumption,  Init  opposed  to  the  sitnatioii  of 
the  Capital  as  favored  by  the  Southern  States;  the  South  was 
divided  on  the  former  question,  but  presented  a  solid  phalanx  on 
the  location  of  the  Federal  City. 

Alexander  Hamilton,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  aiu' 
Thomas  Jefferson,  Secretary  of  State,  realizing  the  dangers  im- 
pending, proved  themselves  diplomats,  indeed,  at  this  critical 
juncture,  by  arranging  a  compromise  between  the  localities 
which  they  respectively  represented.  A  dinner  part}-,  givci;  bv 
Mr.  Jefferson,  became  herewith  an  historic  event,  sucli  members 
heing  invited  as  were  necessar}'  to  carry  forward  the  purposes  of 
the  leaders.  Hamilton  won  to  his  opinion  the  needed  majority 
of  the  Northern  States,  while  Jefferson  carried  l)ie  Southern.— 
the  result  of  which  was  the  passage  of  the  "  Assunrjtion  Act," 
and  the  acceptance  by  Congress,  of  the  joint  offer  of  X'irginia 
and  Maryland.  George  Washington,  President,  issued  proclama- 
tions designating  the  limits  of  the  District,  in  January  and 
Alarch,  1791, — the  fifteenth  year  of  American  independence. 

Geu.  Thomas  Johnson  ai.d  Hon.  Daniel  Carroll,  of  Mary- 
land, and  Dr.  David  Stuart,  of  Virginia,  were  appointed  Com- 
missioners by  the  President,  and  on  April  15,  1791,  the  tirst 
boundary  stone  was  placed  at  Jones'  Point,  adjacent  to  Alex- 
andria, Virginia.  The  name  "Columbia"  was  given  to  the 
District,  in  honor  of  the  discoverer  of  the  continent. 


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1^9 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE   CITY   OF   WASHINGTON. 


7^ HE  site  of  the  now  charming  and  picturesque  City 
of  Washington  was,  in  the  early  days,  a  favorite 
camping-ground  of  the  Anacostian  Indians,  and 
their  council-fires  burned  brightl}'  upon  the  lo- 
cality where  the  Nation's  Capitol  now  lifts  its 
graceful  dome.  The  first  white  man  credited 
with  the  discover}'  of  these  wooded  shores  was 
Henry  Fleet,  an  English  fur-trader,  who  plied  his  skiff  on  the 
Potomac  River,  in  1624,  ^i^d»  i^^  his  joiirnal — recently  discovered 
in  the  Lambeth  Library,  London — gives  an  interesting  descrip- 
tion of  the  native  tribes  and  their  occupation  of  hunting  and 
fishing,  as  well  as  the  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  of  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

In  1660,  another  Englishman,  named  Pope,  purchased  ?. 
tract  of  land  in  this  locality,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
"Rome,"  designating  a  small,  adjacent  creek  "The  Tiber,"  and 
laying  out  a  city — upon  a  paper  foundation — which  should  be  a 
counterpart  of  the  famous  capital  beycnd  the  sea. 

As  early  as  1634  Maryland  was  occupied  by  Lord  Balti- 
more's Catholic  Colony,  but  it  was  not  until  1695  that  a  co^ipau}- 
of  Scotch  and  Irish  exiles  settled  upon  the  territory  now  known 
as  the  District  of  Columbia  and  engaged  in  farming,  giving  to 
tlicir  combined  possessions  the  title  of  "  New  Scotland." 

The  original  location  selected  by  President  Washington  for 

Di>l  cfC.ilimibiii.  7 


"""•Bfr — -•- 


8 


THE   WHITK   CITY — DISTRICT   OK   COLUMHIA. 


the  Federal  City  was  taken  from  Prince  George  and  Mont- 
gomery Counties,  Maryland,  and  from  Fairfax  Connty,  Virginia, 
and  comprised  a  district  one  hundred  square  miles  in  extent, 
which  contained  three  flourishing  towns, — Alexandria,  in  \'ir- 
ginia;  Bladensburg  and  Georgetown,  in  Maryland.  In  1846  tlic 
territorj'  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Potomac  was  retroceded  to 
Virginia,  and  the  area  of  the  present  District  consequently  re- 
duced to  fift}'  square  miles.  Its  only  county  is  Washington ;  its 
towns,  Washington  and  Georgetown.  Andrew  EHicott,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, was  appointend  to  make  the  surveys  of  the  District,  in 
the  spring  of  1791,  and  negotiations  were  thereupon  entered  into 
with  the  owners  of  the  property,  the  four  principal  ones  being 
Daniel  Carroll,  David  Burns,  Samuel  Davidson  and  Notley 
Young,  with  whom  satisfactor}'  terms  were  finally  concluded. 

About  fourteen  miles  above  Mt.  Vernon,  the  famous  country 
seat  of  President  Washington,  the  Eastern  Branch  unites  with 
the  Potomac,  leaving,  between  the  streams,  a  wedge-shaped  strip 
of  land  which  is  bordered  on  one  side  by  the  Potomac  River  for 
a  distance  of  about  three  miles.  Here,  wooded  hills  rise  in 
majestic  beaut}',  and  form  a  semi-circle,  meeting  the  Eastern 
Branch  about  a  mile  from  its  confluence  with  the  Potomac ;  and, 
upon  tliis  point  of  land,  the  President  located  the  Federal  City, 
afterward  named  Washington,  in  his  honor. 

Pierre  Charles  L'Enfant,  a  native  of  France,  was  selected  to 
lay  out  the  city,  and  studied  the  situation  carefully  and  diligently 
during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1791.  He  had  been  attracted 
to  America  with  many  of  his  countrymen,  during  the  Revo- 
lution, at  a  time  of  the  Nation's  need,  and  had  ably  assisted  the 
colonists  by  his  instruction  in  the  planning  of  fortifications; 
his  services  were  rewarded  by  an  appointment  as  Major  of 
Engineers.  One  splendid  feature  of  his  design  was  its  pn)\  ision 
for  the  growth  of  the  Nation,  recognizing  the  needs  <>f  the 
future,  as  well  as  those  of  his  own  day  and  generation ;  and, 
although — owing  to  an  unfortunate  temper,  which  occasioned  his 
dismissal — another  completed  the  labors  he  had  entered  into  so 


DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA  —  CITY   OF    WASHINGTON.  9 

assiduously,  his  ideas  were  largely  embodied  in  the  plans  of  his 
successor,  Andrew  ElHcott. 

THK  .STREETS  OF  THK  CITY. 
The  streets  of  Washington  are  a  distinguishing  feature  of 
the  city.  They  are  somewhat  confusing  to  a  stranger,  owing  to 
the  unusual  manner  of  "doubling"  the  names,  but  when 
once  the  plan  is  comprehended,  all  difficulty  in  this  direction  is 
removed.  With  "Qapitol  Hill  "  as  the  center  of  the  S3'steni,  the 
streets  running  parallel  to  it,  east  and  west  take  the  letters  of 
the  alphabet;  those  extending  north  and  south  are  designated  by 
numerals,  while  the  sixteen  magnificent  avenues  running 
dia.^mnally  across  the  city  and  named  for  the  States  which  com- 
prised the  Union  in  the  year  1800,  are  among  the  pleasing 
features  of  the  capital.  They  are  from  130  to  160  feet  in  width, 
aud  are  lined  by  beautiful  trees  which  give  to  Washington  a 
most  attractive  appearance. 


CHAPTER    in. 


ERECTING   THE   CAPITOL. 


N  July  1793  Stephen  L.  Hallett  was  appointed  Arch- 
itect of  the  Capitol,  with  James  Hoban  acting  as 
Supervising  Architect,  and,  on  the  eighteenth  of  Sep- 
tember, the  Southeast  corner-stone  of  the  building 
was  laid  with  imposing  ceremonies.  Mr.  Hobaii's 
design  for  the  President's  House  was  accepted,  and 
both  structures  were  piished  forward  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  in  order  to  comply  with  the  stipulation  re- 
quiring that  they  be  ready  for  occupancy  by  the  year  iSoo.  No 
appropriations  for  these  buildings  had  been  provided  by  Con- 
gress, and  the  amounts  voted  by  Maryland  and  Virginia  were 
soon  exhausted, — the  former  finally  furnishing  additional  funds, 
on  the  personal  credit  of  the  Commissioners. 

A  third  term  being  declined  by  Washington,  John  Adams 
succeeded  to  the  Presidencj^,  and,  although  representing  a  dis- 
trict hostile  to  the  location,  entered  heartily  into  the  plans 
of  his  predecessor.  The  resignation  of  Mr.  Hallett,  as  well  as 
his  successor,  appointed  by  the  President,  entailed  upon  Mr. 
Hoban  the  duty  of  carrj-ing  the  work  to  completion.  The  North 
wing  was- finished  in  1799,  and  occupied  the  following  year  l)y 
Congress,  as  was  also  the  President's  House, — Mrs.  Adams  hold- 
ing the  distinguished  position  of  first  mistress  of  the  White 
House,  as  it  has  since  been  named. 

The  members  opposed  to  the  accepted  localit}^  of  the  Federal 
City  gave  to  it,  in  the  early  days,  many  titles  significant  of  their 
sentiments  of  disgust,  one  of  which — "The  City  of  Magnificent 


Ui.st.nrColiiinbia. 


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DISTRICT   OK   COLUMniA — KRKCTINC.    THH   CAI'ITOI.. 


II 


Distances  " — still  cliiifrs  to  it,  but  not  in  a  sense  of  disapproba- 
lloii,  at  the  present  time.  "  Capitol-movers,"  as  they  were  des- 
ijriiated,  put  forth  every  effort  to  effect  a  change  in  the  location  of 
the  Federal  City,  but  in  vain,  though  they  doubtless  retarded 
not  a  little  the  growth  of  the  District. 

During  President  Madison's  administration  oc  arred  the  de- 
struction of  the  Capitol  and  other  State  Buildings,  by  the  Brit- 
ish, on  August  24,  1814.  Three  years  previous  to  this  the 
South,  or  House  wing,  of  the  edifice  had  been  completed — the 
Halls  being  connected  by  a  covered  passage  way — and  thus  was 
afforded  to  the  enemy  the  opportunity  of  still  greater  devasta- 
tion. The  records,  valuable  papers  and  plate  were  saved  from 
destruction  by  removal,  but  the  library,  family  stores  and  furni- 
ture were  consumed,  only  the  blackened  walls  remaining  to  cry 
out  against  the  wrong  committed,  and  to  urge  the  common- 
wealths to  concerted  action  in  rebuilding  their  Federal  City. 

Congress  appointed  Mr.  Benjamin  H.  Latrobe  to  supervise 
the  reconstruction  of  the  Capitol,  but,  in  December,  18 17,  he  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Charles  Bulfinch,  who  carried  the  work  to  com- 
pletion— the  foundation  of  the  Central  Building  being  laid 
March  24,  1818,  and  the  structure  made  ready  for  occupancy  in 
the  year  1825.  What  is  now  designated  as  the  "Old  Capitol"  is 
a  building  which  was  leased  by  Congress  in  1815,  and  occupied 
by  them  for  the  succeeding  ten  years. 


CHAPTKR  IV 


THI-;  Ki'.v:  capitol. 


^"^.^  September  30,  1850,  Congress  passed  an  Act 
for  the  extension  of  the  Capitol  in  accordance 
with  the  necessities  of  that  Body.  Presidciil 
Fillmore  approved  of  the  plan  of  Mr.  Thomas 
U.  Walter,  Architect,  and  placed  him  in  charge 
■^M%''^  of  its  constrnction  ;  and,  on  Jnly  4,  1S51,  in  the  sevcnty- 
^'  sixth  j^ear  of  American  Independence,  the  corner-stone 
was  laid  by  the  President,  with  appropriate  ceremonies. 
— Daniel  Webster,  Secretary  of  State,  delivering  the  oration  on 
that  memorable  occasion. 

The  New  Capitol  is  comprised  of  the  old  building  (which 
forms  the  center  of  the  structure)  and  the  '*  Extension,"  consist- 
ing of  two  wings,  though  it  virtuall}'  represents  three  periods  of 
the  Nation's  histor3^  Its  entire  length  is  751  feet,  and  depth 
324  feet  inclusive  of  porticoes  and  steps,  and  the  .structure  covers 
153,112  square  feet  exclusive  of  the  courts.  The  Capitol  faces 
the  east,  while,  contrar}'  to  the  expectation  of  the  projectors,  the 
settlement  of  the  city  did  not  begin  in  that  locality,  but  to  the 
westward  of  the  edifice. 

The  material  of  the  "Extension"  is  white  marble,  which 
was  procured  in  ]\Iassacliusetts,  while  the  columns  were  quarried 
in  Maryland,  the  entire  superstructure  resting  upon  a  basement 
of  rustic  stone. 

The  three  principal  entrances  are  on  the  east, — the  central 
being  the  main  entran.ce  to  the  Capitol,  and  is  reached  through  a 


Dist.  of  Colunibl.v. 


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DISTRICT    OF   COI.UMIUA  —  THK    NKW   CAI'lToI.. 


xa 


|)(irtico  one  lumclrcd  unci  sixty  feet  in  lenj^tli  ;  and  here  has  heen 
wiliicssed  the  inan^nration  of  ihc-  Presidents  of  the  United 
States  since  the  completion  of  the  Capitol. 

I'Voni  Pennsylvania  Avenue — the  niile-lonjj^  apj)roach  to  the 
cdifue — the  effect  is  strikinjj^ly  ^rand,  while  a  near'-*r  \  iew  takes 
nothing  from  its  attractiveness,  so  syinn:etrical  are  its  propor- 
tions and  so  harmonions  the  snrronndin^s.  vSpace  forbids  snch 
detailed  account  of  both  exterior  and  interior  as  nvouUI  be  pleas- 
ant and  profitable,  hence  we  v.-ill  simply  tontli  upon  some  of  the 
noted  features,  an\'xtended  description  of  which  would  occupy  a 
volume. 

The  RoTrxDA  of  the  Capitol  is  reached  throuj^li  massive 
doois  of  bronze,  embellished  with  hij^h-relief  fij^ures,  the  work 
of  the  noted  American  sculptor,  Randolph  Roj^ers,  reprcsentinj^ 
historical  events  connected  with  Cohnubus.  The  diameter  of 
the  Rotunda  is  ninety-five  and  one-Half  feet,  circumference  three 
huiulred,  and  hcij^iit  one  hundred  and  eij^hty  feet  from  base  to 
canop}'.  The  floor  is  of  sandstone,  and  the  ceiling  is  the  iron- 
ribbed  interior  of  the  great  Dome.  A  frieze,  ten  feet  in  width, 
is  frescoed  to  represent  important  events  in  American  history, 
while  the  paintings,  by  celebrated  artists,  set  in  panels  about  the 
walls,  are  among  the  most  attractive  decorations  of  the  Rotunda, 
representing,  as  they  do,  important  scenes  in  the  history  of  the 
Nation.  Thirty-six  windows  are  placed  in  the  ceiling,  and  "  the 
eye,"  a  small  opening  at  the  apex,  is  surrounded  by  a  canopy, 
upon  which  is  frescoed  the  "  Apotheosis  of  Washington."  This 
allegorical  painting,  the  work  of  Senior  C.  Brumidi,  an  Italian 
artist,  covers  4,664  square  feet,  and  represents  to  the  Government 
au  expenditure  of  $40,000,  while,  to  the  American  citizen,  it  is 
ever  a  delightful  study — an  education  in  Art. 

The  domp:,  designed  by  Thomas  U.  Walter,  is  one  of  the 
surprises  of  the  structure,  having  the  appearance  of  airiness, 
but  built  in  so  substantial  a  manner  as  to  resist  the  severest 
storm,  with  only  a  slight  vibration.  Four  thousand  tons  of  iron 
entered  into  its  construction,  while  eight  years  were  spent  in  the 


'*'''''*™'**''-™'"'^afT''iriyiiirr''^''"'~--^ 


14 


THR   WHITE    CITY DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA. 


erection  of  this  prominent  feature  of  the  Capitol.  It  rises  307 
feet  above  the  foundation  and  is  surmounted  by  a  figure  of  Free- 
dom, designed  by  Thomas  Crawford.  The  view  of  fhe  cit}-  ;uid 
surrounding  country  from  the  Dome  is  most  entrancing,  the 
hills  and  valleys,  as  well  as  the  graceful  river,  presenting  a  fas- 
cinating picture  to  the  ej'e;  while  the  magniiicent  avenues, 
reaching  out  in  every  direction,  give  the  appearance  of  a  specific 
object,  in  all  their  wanderings,  which  is  in  reality,  none  other 
than— The  Capitol. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  apartments  of  the  Capitol,  asso- 
ciated as  it  is  with  those  early  days  of  "trials  and  triumphs"  is 
the  HALL  OF  STATUARY,  re?.ched  by  the  niain  corridor,  as  one 
passes  to  the  Soiith  Extension — the  Hall  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. This  semi-circuLir  chamber  is  95  feet  in  length  with 
a  panelled  ceiling  60  feet  in  height,  imitative  in  its  decorations  of 
the  Pantheon  at  Rome.  This  historic  apartment — most  truly 
memorable  on  account  of  the  "  battles  of  the  giants  "  wl  ich  were 
waged  so  forcefully  during  the  fifty  3'ears  of  its  occiipanc\-  as 
House  of  Representatives — Congress,  in  1S64,  wisely  set  aside  as 
a  Hall  of  Statiiary,  and  authorized  the  President  to  extend  an 
invitation  to  each  State  to  contribute  a  bronze  or  marble  statue 
of  two  of  her  noted  sons.  Rhode  Island  was  the  first  to  comply 
with  the  request,  and  Connecticut,  New  York,  ]\Iassachusetts,  \'er- 
mont,  and  several  other  States  have  also  responded.  \\'hen 
each  commonweahh  of  <"he  United  States  shall  have  placed 
beneath  the  arched  ceiling  of  this  Pantheon  of  America's  noted 
men  the  statues  to  which  she  is  entitled,  the  Nation  may  indeed 
be  proud  of  such  representiition,  since  neither  by  inheritance  nor 
the  accident  of  birth  came  honors,  but  in  faithfulness  to  prin- 
ciple, which  is  its  own  reward. 

Occupying  respectively  the  North  and  South  Extensions  are 
the  Senate  Chranber  and  Hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
the  former  being  in  size  112x82  feet,  and  the  latter  139x93  feet, 
in  both  cases  the  floor  space  being  largely  devoted  to  the  desks 
and  chairs  of  members.     Galleries,  extending  entirely  around 


DISTRICT   OF   COLl'MlilA  —  THE    NKW    CAPITOL. 


15 


these  auditoriums,  are  divided  into  sections  for  the  Diplomatic 
Corps,  for  ladies,  and  for  gentlemen, — the  Reporters  Gallery 
hm\i;  above  and  behind  the  presiding  officer's  chair,  in  both 
Houses. 

Tlie  decorations  of  these  Chambers  are  in  perfect  harmony 
with  the  magnificent  structure  of  which  they  form  so  important 
a  part.  Heating,  lighting,  and  ventilating  are  thoroughly  and 
systenuitically  accomplished,  while  comfort  and  convenience  are 
paramount  considerations  in  these  legislative  halhs — the  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives. 

From  the  year  1800  to  1859  the  apartment  now  designated 
a.  the  Supreme  Court  Chamber  resounded  to  the  voices  of  Sen- 
ators of  the  United  States,  as  they  debated  questions  of  import 
to  the  Nation's  welfare.  With  the  completion  of  the  extension, 
the  Senate  removed  to  its  new  location,  and  the  Supreme  Court 
was  assigned  to  the  deserted  chamber.  This  semi-circular 
apartment  is  one  uf  magnificent  proportions,  and  the  decorations 
and  appointments  are  in  keeping  with  the  legislative  halls  of  the 
House  and  Senate. 

Occup3'ing  the  Capitol's  entire  Western  projection,  is  the 
Library, — an  elegant  apartment  (in  reality  three  chambers  in 
one),  affording  to  knowledge-seekers  an  inspiration  for  study, 
througli  the  companionship  of  rare  and  priceless  volumes,  as 
well  as  the  latc^t  productions  of  our  gifted  writers  of  to-day. 

On  April  24,  1800,  Congress  passed  an  Act  appropriating 
55,000  for  the  purchase  of  a  Library,  which,  however,  was  de- 
stroyed in  1814,  with  the  burning  of  the  Capitol  by  the  British. 
President  Jefferson's  oifer  of  his  entire  library  was  accepted  by 
the  Government,  and  7,500  valuable  volumes  were  purchased  of 
him  in  1S15.  These  were  at  once  removed  to  Washington,  and, 
in  1825,  assigned  to  their  permanent  location,  where  they  formed 
the  nucleus  of  the  present  Library. 

In  1 85 1,  35,000  volumes  were  destroyed  by  fire,  but  the 
original  collection  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  for  the  most  part,  fortunately 
escaped.     Appropriations  M'ere  immediately  made  to  replace  the 


if 


'•****™°— •^'--•-  ■itWiiniMMH 


i6 


THE    WHITP:    city  —  DISTRICT    OF    COLUMBIA. 


loss,  as  well  as  for  a  large  additional  purchase  of  books  ;  and,  in 
March,  T852,  $72,500  was  voted,  toward  repairing  the  bunitd 
apartments.  As  a  result,  we  have  the  present  conimoclious 
chambers,  which  are  thoroughly  fire-proof,  and  adapted  in  cnctv 
way  to  the  requirements  of  this  important  department.  In  1S66 
the  scientific  library  of  the  Sniith.sonian  Institute  was  added  to 
the  collection ;  and  the  following  year  Congress  purchased  the 
librar}^  of  Air.  Peter  Force,  of  Washington.  In  1870  the  copy- 
right law  (in  the  transfer  of  its  business  from  the  Patent  Oilice  to 
the  Library  of  Congress)  provided  that  two  copies  of  c;icli 
publication  be  deposited  with  the  librarian,  and  tlius  the  collec- 
tion has  grown  to  mammoth  proportions. 

Of  other  departments  of  the  Capitol  we  will  refrain  iVoih 
special  mention,  leaving  to  the  visitor  the  charm  of  personal 
inspection,  which  ever  proves  not  only  a  pleasant  occupation  hut 
a  matter  of  instntction  as  well. 


^^^^^. 


Allegorical  Picture,  National  Capitol. 


p- 


CHAPTER  V. 


ATTRACTIONS   OF   THE   CITY. 


piEXT  to  the  Capitol,  the  Executive  Mansion  is 
^  and  ahA'ays  has  been  an  object  of  interest.  It 
was  erected  at  the  same  period  and  suffered 
equally  at  the  hands  of  the  invading  hosts,  in 
1814,  but  was  made  ready  for  occupancy  in 
January,  1818.  It  is  located  on  Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue,  but  at  a  distance  of  one  mile  from 
1^'^'  '  the  Legislative  Halls,  and  is  surrounded  by  the 
State,  Treasury,  Navy  and  War  Departments.  The  grounds 
are  spacious  and  attractive,  extending  to  the  Potomac  River,  on 
which  charming  prospect  the  visitor  never  tires  of  gazing. 

The  structure  is  of  Virginia  sandstone,  which  is  of  so  por- 
ous a  nature  as  to  require  a  j-early  coat  of  paint  to  keep  it  from 
crumbling,  and,  because  of  this  necessity,  has  received  its  ap- 
pellation— The  White  House.  It  has  a  frontage  of  170  feet 
with  a  depth  of  86  feet,  and  is  two  stories  in  height.  The  main 
entrance  leads  from  a  spacious  portico  to  a  central  hall,  on  the 
left  of  which  is  the  East  Room,  occupying  that  entire  portion  of 
the  building,  and  used  upon  occasions  of  state.  Adjoining  this 
apartment  are  the  Green,  Blue  and  Red  Rooms,  furnished  in 
these  respective  colors ;  and  to  the  west  of  the  latter  are  the  State 
Dining  Room  and  a  smaller  apartment  used  as  such  by  the 
President  and  family,  upon  ordinary  occasions. 

Tlie  second  story,  containing  thirteen  apartments,  is  divided 
into  the  necessary  family  rooms,  and  the  suite  occupied  by  the 
President  as  ante-chamber,  audience-room,  private  office,  library, 
etc. 


Dist.  (if  Cnlumbiit. 


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■■■■ 


i8 


THE   WHITE   CITY  —  DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA. 


1 

m 

1 

This  home  of  the  Chief  Executive  of  the  United  States  has 
witnessed  both  sad  and  joyous  events.  Here  have  been  consum- 
mated marriage  vows,  and  here  also  have  lain  in  state  the  mortal 
remains  of  the  Nation's  honored  dead.  However,  the  usages  of 
society  at  the  Capital  considerably  abridge  its  periods  of  mourn- 
ing— save  in  the  hearts  of  the  afflicted — since  "men  may  come 
and  men  may  go,"  but  receptions,  state  dinners,  balls  and  fetes 
must  "  still  go  on  forever." 

THK   DEPARTMENTS.  : 

In  the  Renaissance  Building,  which  adjoins  the  White 
House  on  the  wf' ' ,  are  located  the  State,  War  and  Navy  Depart- 
ments, occup3ang  respectively  the  South,  North  and  East  fronts. 
These  are  all  models  in  arrangement  and  decoration,  and  are  a 
delight  to  visitors  who  make  the  "  rounds  "  of  the  "  Federal  City." 
Any  attempt  at  particular  description  is  futile,  however,  since 
one's  best  effort  would  but  subject  him  to  the  criticism  that  "the 
half  has  not  been  told." 

The  State  Department  which,  owing  to  its  position  as  the 
medium  of  communication  with  foreign  powers,  as  well  as  its 
other  exacting  offices,  is  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of 
the  Nation's  business,  and  was  established  in  1 789,  with  Thomas 
Jefferson  as  its  first  Secretar3^  Three  Assistants,  a  Chief  Clerk 
and  six  Chiefs  of  Bureaus  share  the  responsible  duties,  while 
an   army  of  clerks    execute    the    purposes  of  their  "superior 

officers." 

The  War  Department  was  also  organized  in  1789,  and 
Gen.  Henry  Knox,  of  Massachusetts,  was  appointed  its  first  Sec- 
retary. This  official  has  no  Assistants  other  than  the  Chiefs  of 
the  various  Bureaus,  but  through  these  heads  of  Departments 
the  business  of  the  Nation  is  admirably  conducted. 

General  Knox  was  also  made  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  in 
17C9,  at  which  date  this  Department  was  created.  There  are  no 
Assistants,  so  named,  but  a  Chief  Clerk  and  heads  of  Bureaus 
conduct  the  affairs  of  this  Department,  which  is  one  of  great 
magnitude  and  importance. 


DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA  —  ATTRACTIONS. 


19 


The  Navy  Yard  is  one  of  the  "features"  of  the  Capital,  and 
attracts  marked  attention  from  visitors.  It  is  located  on  the 
Anacostia  or  Eastern  Branch  of  the  Potomac,  at  the  foot  of 
Ei.tifhtli  Street  East,  and  was  established  in  1800.  It  occupies  an 
area  of  twenty  acres,  and  its  grounds  have  been  attractively  laid 
out  and  handsoniel}'  ornamented ;  and  here  are  also  displa3'ed 
many  relics  and  trophies,  such  as  cannon,  shot  and  shell,  taken 
in  earlier  conflicts,  as  well  as  during  the  Civil  War. 

The  Treasury  Department  was  also  organized  in  17S9,  with 
^'cxander  Hamilton  its  first  Secretary,  since  which  date  many 
horored  names  are  recorded  as  its  presiding  officers.  The 
Building  is  located  on  Pennsylvania  Avenue  at  the  corner  of 
Fifteenth  vStreet  West,  and,  owing  to  tiie  extensions  that  have 
been  added  to  the  original  structure,  and  which  were  completed 
in  1869,  is  only  second  in  attractiveness  to  the  Capitol. 

The  edifice  is  465  feet  in  length  by  a  depth  of  266  feet,  the 
extensions  being  constructed  of  the  finest  quality  of  granite 
from  Dix  Island,  Maine.  Of  all  the  Departments  of  State,  none 
takes  higher  rank,  in  point  of  architectural  beauty  or  interior  ar- 
rangement and  finish,  than  the  Treasury.  It  is  officered,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  Secretary,  by  two  Assistants,  a  Chief  Clerk,  two 
Comptrollers,  Commissioner  of  Customs,  six  Auditors,  Register, 
Director  of  the  Mint,  Solicitor  of  the  Treasury,  Commissioner  of 
Internal  Revenue,  and  Chiefs  of  other  important  Bureaus  con- 
nected with  the  Department,  which,  with  the  clerical  force  em- 
ployed, constitutes  a  small  army  of  workers,  enlisted  under  the 
banner  of  the  "Sovereign  of  the  Realm" — in  other  words,  the 
Treasury  of  the  United  States. 

The  Department  of  the  Interior  was  established  in  1849, 
and  occupies  a  marble  and  granite  structure  facing  F  Street,  and 
a  portion  of  the  pension  office  on  Judiciary  Square.  This  De- 
partment has  charge  of  the  business  relating  to  Patents,  Pen- 
sions, Public  Lands,  Indian  Affairs,  Sui-veys,  Census,  Education, 
Railroads  and  many  other  public  interests.  There  are  two 
Assistants,  as  well  as  Commissioners  over  each  of  the  Bureaus, 


i 


I 


20 


THK   WHITK   CITY — DISTRICT   OK   COLUMBIA. 


while  a  large  number  of  clerks  dispatch  the  business  of  the  X;i- 
tion  as  represented  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior. 

In  1789  the  office  of  Postman: ter-General  was  established, 
and  Samuel  Osgood,  of  Massachusetts,  was  placed  at  the 
head  of  this  department,  which  stands  next  in  importance  to  the 
Treasury  of  the  United  States.  There  are  three  Asssistants,  as 
well  as  Chiefs  of  Contract,  Finance,  Inspection  and  Appointment, 
who  share  with  the  first  ofticer  the  duties  of  the  Department. 
This  building,  about  which  so  man}-  interests  cluster,  and  whicli 
is  one  of  the  first  to  be  inspected  by  the  City's  guests,  covers  an 
entire  block,  between  E  and  F  Streets  North,  and  Seventh  and 
Eighth  Streets  West,  with  its  main  entrance  on  Seventh  Street. 
It  is  constructed  of  white  marble,  in  rectangular  form,  and  is  a 
most  imposing  structure.  The  original  building  was  erected  in 
1839,  and  additions  were  made  thereto  in  1855,  the  entire  edifice 
costing  two  millions  of  dollars  in  round  numbers. 

The  Department  of  Justice  is  of  recent  creation,  being  estab- 
lished in  1870,  and  is  in  charge  of  the  Attorney-General,  the 
"law-officer"  of  the  Government.  A  Solicitor  and  two  Assistant 
Attorney-Generals  share  the  duties  of  this  office,  which  is  located 
in  a  brown  stone  building  on  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  near 
Fifteenth  Street. 

The  Department  of  Agriculture,  established  in  1862,  is 
located  upon  a  portion  of  the  "Smithsonian  Reservation,"  twenty 
acres  of  ground  being  devoted  to  its  iise.  The  building,  con- 
structed of  pressed  brick,  is  four  stories  in  height  and  166x60 
feet  in  dimensions,  and  complete  in  all  its  appointments.  As 
in  the  other  Departments,  the  Bureaus  are  in  charge  of  Chiefs, 
to  whom  are  intrusted  the  control  of  their  respective  interests, 
subject  to  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture. 

The  Patent  Office  is  a  Bureau  of  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,  and  is  in  charge  of  a  Commissioner.  It  is  located 
between  Seventh  and  Ninth  Streets  West,  and  is  bounded  by  F 
and  G  Streets,  which  it  faces  on  the  south  and  north.  The 
building  is  410x275  feet  in  dimensions,  and  is  constructed  of 


DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA  —  ATTRACTION'S. 


21 


marble  in  plain  but  massive  style,  and   is  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive structures  of  the  city. 

It  is  simply  impossible  to  attempt  a  description  of  this  De- 
partment or  its  forces  at  work,  since  by  personal  inspection, 
alone,  can  any  adequate  idea  be  formed  of  the  vastness  of  the 
enterpri.se  or  the  interesting  objects  contained  within  these  walls; 
hence  we  leave  to  the  visitor  the  charm  of  obser\'ation,  and 
to  the  historian  unrestricted  to  a  brief  outline  a  detailed  account 
of  so  interesting  a  Department. 

THK   SMITH.SOXIAX   INSTITUTION. 

One  of  the  noted  structures  toward  which  the  ** pilgrim" 
journeys,  and  in  which  the  Washingtonian  takes  especial  delight, 
is  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  which  occupies  a  commanding 
position  in  what  is  designated  as  "The  Mall,"  a  fifty  acre  park 
extending  from  Seventh  to  Twelfth  Streets  West,  and  from  B 
Street  South  to  Canal,  its  northern  limit.  The  structure  is 
447x160  feet  in  its  greatest  dimensions,  but  these  figures  give 
little  idea  of  the  space  comprehended  in  this  magnificent 
edifice,  with  its  wings,  turrets  and  projections.  The  material 
entering  into  its  construction  is  lilac  gray  freestone,  quarried  in 
the  vicinity  of  Washington,  and  its  style  of  architecture  is  the 
Norman  or  Romanesque. 

In  1829  James  Smithson,  an  English  scientist,  died  in 
Genoa,  Italy,  and  bequeatl.ed  his  estate  "to  the  United  States  of 
America  to  foun4  at  Washington,  under  the  name  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution,  an  establishment  for  the  increase  and  diffusion 
of  knowledge  among  men."  The  bequest,  with  a  later  residuary 
legacy,  was  judiciously  invested,  and,  as  a  result  of  wise  enact- 
ments, the  Smithsonian  Institution  stands  to-day  a  monument, 
not  only  to  its  founder,  but  to  the  counselors  who  have  established 
it  upon  the  broad  foundation  contemplated  in  the  gift. 

THE  WASHINGTON  MONUMENT. 

To  visit  Washington  is  to  view  "The  Monument,"  both  as 
a  matter  of  desire  and  also  of  necessity,   since    at  no  locality 


22 


'IMII',    Wlirri'.    CITY  —  DISTRICT    ol-    CDl.rMDIA. 


within  th.c  city  or  its  vicinity  can  one  fail  to  observe  this  ardii- 
tectnral  wonder,  if  his  eye  is  directed  toward  the  Mall.  Hall"  ;i 
mile  to  the  south  of  the  Executive  Mansion  stands  this  nohk- 
structure,  "the  hi}j;l;est  artificial  elevation  in  the  world";  an 
obelisk  contemplated  nearly  a  century  before  it  stood  a  finished 
piece  of  masonry,  the  pride  of  every  citizen  of  the  United 
States. 

In  the  ori,t^inal  plans  of  L'Enfant  there  was  contemplated  an 
equestrian  statue  of  Washington,  as  well  as  an  "historic  col- 
umn," to  be  located  "a  mile  from  the  Federal  House;"  and,  upon 
the  site  designated  for  the  statue,  rests  this  combination  of 
memorials — The  Washington  Monument. 

Patriotism  was  not  lacking  in  the  earlier  days,  but,  like 
many  praise-worthy  undertakings,  other  interests  were  allowid 
to  take  precedence  in  the  appropriaticms  of  Congress,  and  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Washington  National  Monument  Society  was 
necessary  to  arouse  a  "working  enthusiasm"  in  the  hearts  of 
members  of  the  Legislature.  When  $87,000  had  been  raised 
by  private  subscription,  the  foundation  was  begun,  and  on  July 
4,  1S48,  the  corner-stone  was  laid,  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop 
being  orator  of  the  daj' ;  the  gavel  which  had  been  used  by  Wa:di- 
ington  at  the  same  ceremony  for  the  Capitol,  in  1792,  being  a 
feature  of  the  later  occasion.  Among  the  notable  guests  present 
at  this  ceremony  were  Mrs.  "Dolly"  ]\Iadison,  Mrs.  John  Ouiiicy 
Adams  and  Mrs.  Alexander  Hamilton. 

In  1855  the  funds  were  exhausted,  and  not  until  1884  was 
the  monument  completed.  On  December  6th,  of  that  year,  the 
capstone  was  placed  in  position,  and,  with  the  lowei'ing  of  the 
massive  block,  a  flag  was  waved  from  the  platform,  while  the 
firing  of  cannon  and  ringing  bells  announced  the  finished  work. 

The  height  of  the  ]\Ionument  from  base  to  tip  is  555  feet; 
its  weight  80,000  tons,  and  the  cost  of  construction  $i,200,(X)o. 
Dedicatory  services  were  conducted  on  Washington's  birtlukiy, 
1885,  at  the  foot  of  the  Monument, — the  orator  of  the  occasion 


Supreme  Coi'rt  Room,  Washington. 


I'- 


CoXC,RK.SSIONAI,    LiHRARV,    WASHINGTON. 


HI 

8 


DISTRICT   OF   COUIMHIA  —  ATTRACTIONS. 


as 


bcin^i  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  upon  whom  devolved  ii  similar 
service  at  the  layinj:^  of  it.s  corner-stone  thirty-seven  years  before. 

THE  city's  CKMKTKRIKS. 

One  of  the  places  of  interest  about  Washington  is  "The 
Conijfrcssional  Cemetery,"  a  beautifully  located  "City  of  the 
Dead"  overlookinjif  the  Anacostia  or  Eastern  Branch  of  the  Poto- 
mac, in  which  repose  the  remains  of  some  of  the  Nation's  hon- 
ored sons.  It  takes  its  name,  however,  chiefly  from  the  cenotaphs 
of  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  members  of  Congress,  whom  death 
has  claimed  while  representing  their  respective  commonwealths 
at  the  Nation's  capital. 

Oak  Hill  Cemetery  situated  on  Georgetown  Heights,  also 
claims  its  share  of  respectful  interest.  Here  exquisite  t  te  has 
supplemented  Nature  in  the  adornment  of  the  grounds,  in  which 
repose  the  remains  of  many  whose  names  in  life  were  spoken  with 
veneration,  among  whom  are  General  Van  Ness  and  Lorenzo 
Dow,  while  John  Howard  Payne  here  rests  at  last,  in  Native  land, 
no  longer  au  exile  from  his  "  Home  sweet  home." 

THE   soldier's   HOME. 

Adjoining  the  National  Cemetery  is  the  Soldiers'  Home, 
beautifully  located  in  its  five  hundred  acre  plat  of  ground  and 
with  its  seven  miles  of  attractive  drives.  It  was  established  by 
Cicneral  Winfield  Scott,  as  a  IMilitary  Asylum,  but  at  the  close 
of  the  Civil  War,  was  converted  into  a  National  Home  for  indi- 
jijeut  soldiers.  It  is  an  attractive  resort  to  Washingtonians,  as 
well  as  one  of  the  feat  ^es  of  interest  to  the  visitor  at  the  Na- 
tion's Capital. 

THE  CORCORAN   ART   GALLERY. 

To  speak  of  Washington  is  to  recall  to  mind  a  number  of 
private  enterprises,  of  which  limited  space  prevents  particular 
mention.  We  cannot  leave  unnoticed,  however,  the  Corcoran 
Gallery  of  Art,  which  is  an  institution  of  private  origin,  but  de- 


^mmmm 


Hi 


24 


THE   WHITE   CITY-      DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA. 


votea  to  the  interest  of  the  public,  of  which  the  founder  was  a 
benefactor  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the  word.  For  "the  perpet- 
ual establishment  and  encouragement  of  Painting,  Sculpture 
and  Fine  Arts  generally,"  this  generous  donor,  William  W.  Cor- 
coran, deeded  to  the  trustees  the  noble  structure  which  bears  his 
name,  the  entire  benefaction  aggregating  $1,200,000,  conditicjiied 
on  the  free  admission  of  students  and  vis 'tors  two  days  each 
week,  and  at  other  times,  "at  moderate  and  reasonable  charges." 
This  Institute  is  located  on  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  Sev- 
enteenth Street,  and  is  an  imposing  structure,  built  in  the  Renais- 
sance style  of  architecture.  It  was  designed  b}' James  Rer  [A\, 
of  New  York,  and  was  completed  in  1871.  The  best  works  in 
Europe  and  America  are  here  represented,  both  in  statuary  and 
painting,  as  well  is  by  fine  collections  of  ceramics  and  bronzes. 

WASHINGTON  SUBURBS. 

If  it  is  difficult  to  do  justice  to  the  National  Capital  in  a 
brief  sketch,  it  is  equally  so  in  respect  to  its  suburban  attractions, 
of  which  no  city  can  boast  greater. 

Mount  Vernon,  situated  sixteen  miles  below  the  city  on  the 
western  shore  of  the  Potomac,  in  Fairfax  County,  Virginia,  is 
now  the  property*  of  the  IMount  Vernon  Association,  and  was 
purchased  of  the  estate  by  popular  contribution,  in  1S60,  for 
$200,000.  The  yearly  pilgrims  to  this  shrine,  sacred  to  the 
memory  of  Washington,  are  a  goodl)-  number,  and  at  all  times 
and  seasons  the  picturesque  grounds  of  this  popular  resort  are 
animated  by  interested  visitors. 

THE   N.\TION.\L   CEMETERV. 

Georgetown,  in  Maryland,  now  i-nown  as  West  Washington, 
is,  in  reality,  a  beautiful  suburb  of  the  Federal  City.  Just  bch)\v 
this  interesting  locality,  the  Aqueduct  Bridge  over  the  Potomac 
leads  to  Arlington  Heights,  the  location  of  the  National  Cemetery. 

This  historic  spot,  sold  for  taxes  in  1864,  was  purchased  by 
the  Government  for  $23,000,  and  set  aside  as  a  National  Cem- 


DISTRICT    OF   COLUMI5IA  —  ATTRACTIONS. 


25 


etery.  The  property  had  formerly  been  the  possession  of  Robert 
E.  Lee,  and  his  son,  George  W.  C.  Lee,  entered  suit  to  recover 
the  estate,  which  finally  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  his 
claim,  and  later,  a  conveyance  by  him  to  the  Government  of  the 
two  hundred  acres  now  known  as  Arlington  Cemetery,  for  a  con- 
sideration of  $150,000. 

In  :yi  'Jtion  to  the  16,264  soldiers  whofie  resting  places  are 
marked  by  a  simple  headstone,  is  the  IMaiisoleum,  sacred  to  the 
memory  of  2,111  "unknown  "  dead,  whose  "remains  could  not  be 
identified,  but  their  names  and  deaths  are  recorded  in  the  archives 
of  their  Country,  and  its  grateful  citizens  honor  tliem  as  of  their 
noble  army  of  martyrs." 

RECAPITULATION'. 

We  have  briefly  written  of  the  Nation's  Capital,  and  the 
trying  period  which  gave  it  birth ;  of  the  selection  of  a  location, 
erection  of  the  Capitol,  its  destruction  and  re-building;  of  the 
"Executive  Mansion,"  the  Departments  of  State,  a  few  of  the 
most  important  Institutions  and  interesting  Suburbs.  We  have 
not  entered  into  the  life  of  the  city — its  social  world;  nor  fol- 
IowlJ  the  fortunes  of  that  ever  advancing  and  receding  "  wave  of 
hunionity,''  which  drifts  in  and  out  with  each  political  tide. 

To  write  "The  Story  of  The  Federal  City"  is  to  record  "be- 
tween the  lines"  those  names  we  all  revere  and  love — the  Na- 
tion's honored  Sons ;  not  Washingtonians,  alone,  but  Children 
of  your  State  and  mine. 

Some  names  arc  written — not  alone 
In  deep-carved  letters  on  tlii-  stone 

Standing  above  each  head  ; 
But,  in  the  Nation's  heart,  to-day, 
Their  deeds  still  live,  although  ive  say  : 

"This  son  or  that  is  dead." 

Some  names  are  written — not  on  stone ; 
Nor  to  the  past  belonjL^s  alone 

The  Nation's  heroes,  all. 
They  live  within  our  land  to-day, 
Standing  for  truth  and  right  ahvay. 

Though  •'parties"  rise  or  fall. 


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N  February  22,  1732,  in  Westmoreland  County, 
X'irginia,  there  awoke  to  conscious  existence  in 
the  "steep-roofed"  home  of  Augustine  and 
Mary  Ball  Washington,  on  Bridge's  Creek,  a 
son,  of  whose  early  life  only  the  merest  outline 
is  obtainable,  but  whom  a  nation  honors  for  his  nobil- 
ity of  character  and  the  important  position  which  he 
filled  at  so  critical  a  period  as  the  birth  of  the  Re- 
He  was  a  descendant  of  a  vigorous  English  ancestry, 
his  great-grandfather,  John  Washington,  emigrating  to  Virginia 
from  Lei  :stershire,  in  1657,  When  eleven  years  of  age  his  fa- 
ther passed  away,  leaving  his  mother  with  a  family  of  small 
cliildren,  George  being  the  eldest. 

Iwo  half-brothers,  by  his  father's  former  marriage  (es- 
pecially the  elder,  Laurence,  fourteen  j^ears  the  senior  of  George), 
were  destined  to  materially  influence  the  unfolding  life  of  their 
afterward  highly  distinguished  relative. 

Laurence  married  the  daughter  of  one  of  Virginia's  most 
refined  and  wealthy  families — the  Fairfaxes — and  at  their  coun- 
try-scat, Belvoir,  George  passed  many  happ}-  hours  in  the  society 
of  such  companions  as  frequented  that  hospitable  !:onie.  From 
his  father,  Laurence  had  inherited  property  on  the  Potomac,  to 
wliicli  was  given  the  name  of  Hunting  Creek,  but  afterward  re- 
named Mount  Vernon,  by  its  owner,  and  it  was  destined  to  be- 
come the  historic  spot  on  American  soil.  With  his  half-brother, 
Auj^ustine,  be  also  passed  considerable  time  and  there  enjoyed 


I'ri-Mili'iils. 


37 


28 


THK    WHITK    CITV — I'RKSIDKNTS. 


the  opportunities  of  a  somewliat  higher  education  than  his  earlier 
surroundings  afforded. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  an  acquaintance  and  quickly  di  vel- 
oped  fricndsliip  l)et\veen  himself  'ad  Lord  Thomas  Fairfax 
largeh-  influenced  his  future  career,  the  latter  entrusting  him 
with  a  commission  to  surve}'  his  vast  estates  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley.  The  experiences  of  such  an  undertaking  and  the  luird- 
ships  and  dangers  of  the  frontier  served  him  a  good  purpose 
when  hardihood  was  required  in  his  country's  service. 

Physically,  George  Washington  presents  to  us  the  type  of 
vigorous  manhood.  He  was  of  powerful  build  and  delighted  in 
such  athletic  sports  as  developed  a  magnificent  plij-sique  and  per- 
fect health.  He  was  quiet  in  demeanor  and  thoughtful  beyond 
his  years,  but  under  the  calm  and  dignified  exterior  the  fires  of 
heroi.'ni  were  burning,  and  a  strong  wiU  and  a  temper  more 
swift  in  rising  than  his  blue  eyes  might  suggest  are  not  out  of 
harmony  with  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  ever}'  enterprise  to 
wliich  his  efforts  were  afterward  directed. 

Later,  when  the  French  and  En.glish  colonies  were  strug- 
gling for  supremacy  in  the  Ohio  \'alley,  his  military  instinct 
began  to  develop ;  but  about  this  time  cares  and  sorrows  also 
pressed  heavily  upon  him,  owing  to  the  death  of  his  ])r()ther, 
Laurence,  and  the  responsibilities  of  his  duties  as  executor  of 
the  vast  estate.  IVIount  Vernon  now  became  his  home  and  was 
never  relinquished  as  such  during  the  years  of  his  life.  W'a.'di- 
ington's  part  in  the  contest  between  the  French  and  English  was 
an  important  one,  and,  as  a  crowning  act  of  the  struggle  lie, 
with  his  advance  guard,  on  November  25,  1758,  entered  Fort 
Duquesne  and  flung  to  the  breeze  the  English  flag. 

His  marriage  with  the  beautiful  Martha  Custis  was  indeed 
a  "union  of  hearts"  and  jccurred  at  the  close  of  this  canipai,t,ni. 
For  sixteen  years  following,  his  life  seems  to  have  run  smoothly, 
and  then  came  the  struggle  for  American  independence,  when 
his  was  the  strong  arm  upon  which  to  lean,  and  his  words— 
when  speech  was  needed — glowed  with  patriotic  fire. 


I'RHSIDHNTS — WASHINGTON. 


29 


When  victory  at  last  crowned  the  American  arms,  Wash- 
ington's was  the  striking  fignre  before  die  eyes  of  the  New 
\V(irld.  He  retnrned  to  IMonnt  Vernon  to  enjoy  the  tranqnility 
of  domestic  life,  only  to  be  called  to  higher  responsibilities  by  a 
luiaiiinions  election  as  the  first  President  of  the  United  States. 

The  sonnd  jndgmeut  which  marked  this  administration 
proved  that  Washington's  statesmanship  was  not  inferior  to  his 
qualifications  as  a  soldier.  For  eight  years  he  guided  the  af- 
fairs of  the  youthful  Republic  courageously  and  conscientiously, 
and  on  March  4,  1797,  retiring  from  public  life  with  almost  un- 
speakable happiness,  he  repaired  to  Mount  Vernon  to  enjoy  the 
home  made  dear  by  early  associations.  WHien,  however,  the 
French  Directory  aimed  a  blow  at  American  commerce,  and  war 
threatened,  Washington  was  commissioned  Comni;  nder-in-chief 
of  the  American  forces,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  as  the 
patriot  and  soldier.  However,  the  preparations  for  war,  so  vig- 
orously undertaken,  seemed  to  inspire  the  French  with  proper 
respect  for  American  arms  and  they  retreated  from  their  arro- 
,u;ant  position.,  and  thus  the  calamities  of  war  were  averted. 

When  relieved  once  more  from  his  official  duties,  Washing- 
ton returned  to  Mount  Vernon  and  entered  upon  a  tranquil  but 
busy  life,  which  was  only  to  be  broken  in  upon  by  the  Invader 
of  all  homes — the  silent  messenger — who  came  on  December  17, 
1799,  when  the  year  was  nearing  its  clo.so,  and  the  eventful  cent- 
ury, in  which  he  had  occupied  so  conspicucus  a  place,  was  also 
Hist  hastening  away. 


iiawiaia  ini» 


John  Hdams. 


^=<i\  HE  second  President  of  these  United  States  bears 
the  simple  cognomen  of  John  Adams,  but  tliere 
is  something  charaiHeristic  in  the  name,  quite  in 
keeping  with  the  straightforward,  earnes*  ihtx-nse 
nature  of  this  man,  who  occupies  so  important  a 
place  in  the  Nation's  history.  John  Adams  was 
born  at  Braintree,  Massachusetts — on  the  south 
shore  of  Boston  harbor — October  19,  1735.  He 
was  among  the  descendants  of  a  Puritan  family,  which  settled 
in  Massachusetts  in  1630;  and  of  his  father  it  may  be  said  to  his 
great  credit  that,  although  not  blessed  with  a  superabundance  of 
this  world's  goods,  he  realized  the  advantages  of  education  for 
his  children,  and  placed  his  eldest  son  at  Harvard,  from  which 
institiition  he  was  graduated  in  1775,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years. 
The  records  are  very  meager  in  regard  to  the  childhood  and 
youth  of  this  distinguished  Statesman.  On  leaving  his  Ahna 
Mater,  he  naturally  drifted  into  a  pursuit  for  M'hich  his  education 
had  qualified  him,  and  we  find  him  installed  in  charge  of  a 
grammar  school,  at  Worcester,  but  his  ardent  nature  chafed  un- 
der the  circumscribed  rules  and  methods  of  such  a  life,  and  after 
much  deliberation,  resulting  in  the  abandonment  of  an  auil)ition 
for  the  "pomp  and  glory  "  of  a  soldier's  life,  he  decided  in  favor 
of  the  law;  w-as  admitted  to  ihe  bar  November  6,  1758,  and  at 
once  began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in  Suffolk  County.  As 
showing  the  high  standard  of  integrity  with  which  he  entered 
upon  his  career,  his  own  words  are  fitting  in  this  connection: 


rri'siilc'iit.s. 


30 


I'RKSIDHNTS  —  ADAMS. 


31 


"Bill  I  set  out  with  firm  resolutions,  I  think,  never  to  commit 
uin'  meanness  or  injustice  in  the  practice  of  the  law." 

On  October  25,  1764,  John  Adams  was  married  to  Miss 
Abit^ail  Smith,  a  cleri^yman's  daughter,  who,  though  a  youthful 
bride,  proved  a  most  worthy  help-meet  through  all  the  years  of 
his  eventful  life.  Owing  to  the  demands  of  public  affairs  upon 
the  father,  the  care  and  training  of  the  daughter  and  three  sons 
rested  largely  upon  the  devoted  wife  and  mother,  but  t.here  was 
no  faltering  in  the  acceptance  of  the  trust,  and  her  double  duties 
were  faithfully  performed.  . 

In  1765  the  passage  of  the  "Stamp  Act"  awoke  the  Colo- 
nies <.o  spirited  resistance,  though,  with  its  repeal,  the  sentiment 
of  loyalty  to  tlie  Mothei;  Country  doubtless  calmed  somewhat 
the  storm  of  disaffection  which  had  gathered,  although  it  was 
never  again  to  be  lulled  into  the  sleep  of  restful  security. 

John  Adam's  patriotism  has  never  been  questioned.  What- 
ever may  be  said  of  those  later  acts  of  his  which  dimmed  the 
luster  of  his  political  record,  and  subjected  him  to  the  severest 
criticism,  his  love  of  countr}'  stands  out  as  a  "bright,  particular 
star,"  whose  guidance  may  be  safely  followed  in  these  nineteenth 
century  days. 

With  the  Boston  Port  Bill  came  the  rousing  of  the  colonists 
to  positive  action,  and  on  June  17,  1774,  one  of  the  five  Massa- 
chusetts delegates  sent  by  the  Provisional  Assembly  to  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  at  Philadelphia,  was  John  Adams,  and  he  was 
also  returned  to  the  Second  Assembly  the  following  Ma}-. 

The  events  of  this  period  are  among  the  most  niemofaole  in 
historj'.  Almost  at  the  very  door  of  his  Braintree  home,  scenes 
of  conflict  were  being  enacted,  while  the  deliberations  of  Con- 
.afress,  then  in  session,  were  to  render  immortal  the  names  of 
several  of  the  Nation's  sons.  Although  to  Thomas  Jefferson  is 
siven  credit  for  the  authorship  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, John  Adams'  presentation  before  Congress  carried  his 
hearers  with  him,  and  "his  praise  was  in  everybody's  mouth.  ' 

He  was  aftenvard  appointed   Commissioner  to   the    Court 


33 


THK    WIIITH   CITY  —  I'RICSIDHNTS. 


of  France,  and  in  acccptinp^  this  important  trnst  must 
have  realized  the  dangers  which  it  involved,  as  his  capture  upon 
the  seas,  by  the  Enjj^lish  Government,  would  have  been  liiiilcd 
with  joy  by  the  rnlinjj^  power — George  III.  Owinjjf  to  Dr.  Knmk- 
lin's  popularity  anion ji^  the  F'reneh,  at  the  su^jj^estion  of  Mr. 
Adams  the  Commissi(m  was  ^iven  to  the  former,  and  he  (Adams) 
returned  to  America.  In  1779  he  ajj^ain  sailed,  under  ap])()iiit- 
ment,  as  Minister  "to  treat  with  Great  Britain  for  peace  and 
commerce." 

At  the  head  of  foreign  affairs  in  France,  at  that  time,  -vas 
Conipte  de  Vergennes,  and  the  relations  of  these  two  diplomats 
were  far  from  agreeable.  Mr.  Adams  lacked  tact,  and  his  out- 
spoken words  were  doubtless  the  cause  of  much  disaffection  be- 
tween them.  He  was  also  on  unfriendly  terms  with  Dr.  Frank- 
lin, which  rendered  his  position  the  more  trying.  War  between 
Great  Britain  and  Holland  was  declared,  and  Mr.  Adams  ",vas 
appointed  Minister  to  the  latter  province,  in  place  of  Laurens, 
who  had  been  captured  by  the  British  and  held  for  supjxiscd 
irregularities.  With  the  same  confidence  as  was  shown  in 
presenting  to  Congress  the  name  of  George  Washington  as 
Commander-in-chief  of  the  Army,  and  the  carrying  out  of  his 
purpose  1)\-  the  force  of  his  convincing  arguments,  Mr.  Adams 
demanded  of  the  States-General  recognition  as  the  representative 
of  "an  independent  nation."  On  April  19,  1782,  his  demands 
were  acceded  to,  and  he  was  recognized  as  "American  Mir.'.itcru^ 
The  Hague." 

Mr.  Adams  afterward  secured  loans  from  Holland  whic'i 
were  much  need<.d  in  the  new  country,  and  also  materially 
strengthened  his  colleagues  in  France  (Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr. 
Ja}^  at  a  most  critical  moment  in  their  negotiations  with  Eng- 
land. 

After  the  "  Treaty  of  Peace  with  the  United  States  of  Xortli 
America,"  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed  Minister  to  Great  Britain. 
on  February  24,  1785,  but  resigned  and  sailed  for  Amerira  on 
April  20,  1788.     He  was  elected  Vice-President  and   re-elected 


PRKSIDKNTS — ADAMS. 


35 


for  lilt'  second  tenii.  Ik'twccn  hiniself  and  Alexander  Hamilton 
had  arisen  the  sharpest 'antajj^onisni,  and  thon^h  Mr.  Adams  suc- 
ceeded to  the  Presidency,  it  was  by  a  very  small  majority,  and 
the  animosity  between  these  two  distinguished  statesmen  is 
pointed  to  as  "the  most  bitter  feud  in  American  liistory." 

With  the  declaration  of  war  with  France,  Washington  left 
Ml.  X'ernon  to  become  Commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  but  ere 
long  this  Foreign  power  made  advances  to  America  for  peace. 
To  this  Mr.  Adams  inclined,  only  to  meet  the  violent  opposition 
of  his  Cabinet,  who  desired  a  permanent  rupture  with  that  gov- 
ernment. Mr.  Adams  was  not  elected  to  a  second  term  and  no 
doubt  his  defeat  was  largel}^  due  to  his  implacable  foe,  Alexan- 
der Hamilton. 

He  has  been  severely  criticised  for  deserting  his  place  and 
"violating  the  etiquette  of  the  occasion"  by  refusing  to  be 
present  at  the  inauguration  of  his  successor,  but  his  nun-tifica- 
tion  was  terrible  and  his  disappointmer.t  severe.  He  had  served 
his  country  with  unselfish  devotion,  and  to  him  her  seeming  '  i- 
gratitude  was  unparalleled. 

John  Adams  is  described  as  portly,  but  of  well-kr.it  frame; 
a  handsome  man  with  resolute  lines  showing  prominently 
in  the  clear,  strong  features.  He  was  simple  and  dignified  in 
niainicr,  and  carried  himself  .vitli  quiet  self-respect.  His  be- 
loved wife  passed  away  in  i<Si8,  and  e'ght  years  later,  on  July  4, 
1826, John  Adams  answered  the  ''summons,"  and  the  second 
President  of  the  United  States  "was  no  more." 


1^ 


JFhomas  Jefferson. 


I 


T  the  "Shadwell  homestead,"  iu  Albcnuirle 

County,  \'irginia,  where  lie  was  boni  on 

April  13,  1743,  the  early  life  of  Thoinas 

Jefferson    was  passed.      His    father  was 

considered  a  remarkable    man    in  those 

days,  and  to  such    sterling  qualities  n 

riTfS^  sound  judgment  and  integrity  were  added  intclli- 

^T-  gence    and  the    faithful    administration  of  publii 

<?■''        affairs.     His  mother  was  Jane  Randolph,  of  old  Virginia 

stock,  whose    birthplace   was   a   London    parish    culled 

Shadwell,  which  name  was  thus  fittingly  given  to  the  home  upon 

the  bunks  of  the  Rivanna. 

Peter  Jcjfferson  died  when  his  son  was  fourteen  years  of  age, 
leaving  him  the  third  child,  but  eldest  son,  in  a  rather  numerous 
family.  According  to  his  fatlier's  expressed  wish,  Thomas  was 
to  receive  a  thorough  education  and  his  first  tutor  was  the  Rev. 
James  Maury,  with  whom  lie  remained  for  two  years,  and  thou 
entered  William  and  Mar}'  College,  at  Williamsburg,  the  capital 
of  Virginia. 

In  personal  appearance  this  future  "great  man"  is  described 
as  "tall  and  slender,  with  sandj'  hair  and  freckled  facj,  prom- 
inent cheek  bones  and  chin,  and  large  hands  and  feet;  but  with 
bright,  hazel-gra}'  eyes  and  perfect  teeth."  He  was  a  great  stu- 
dent, and  became  a  favorite  with  his  classmates.  He  also  there 
met  friends  who  largely  iniluenced  his  future  years,  and  w  hose 
names  were  always  associated  with  those  earl}-  days.     The  first 


I'rcsiili'iits, 


34 


PRI'.SIDHNTS  —  Ji;rFKRSON. 


35 


niiiiance  of  his  life  came  to  him  within  those  collej^e  walls,  hut 
the  disappointment  .it  the  rejection  of  his  suit,  hy  the  beautiful 
Rcli'.'cca  Hurwell,  diil  not  shut  out  all  the  bri}j[htness  of  his  future 
career,  nor  render  him  oblivious  to  its  sacred  duties  and  trusts. 

Between  himself  and  one  of  his  classnuites,  Dabncy  Carr, 
—later  the  husband  of  Martha  Jefterson — the  closest  friendship 
existed,  and  their  favorite  retreat — a  noble  oak  part  way  toward 
the  summit  of  the  afterward  famous  Monticello — became  to  each 
a  sacred  place.  By  covenant  between  these  two,  the  one  whose 
death  should  first  occur  v.as  to  find  a  resting  place  beneath  the 
sprcadiujj^  branches  of  the  oak,  and  Jefferson  performed  for  his 
friend  his  solemn  obligation,  and,  in  later  years,  was  laid  to  rest 
beside  that  much-loved  comrade  of  his  youth. 

In  1767  Thonuis  Jefferson  was  admitted  lo  the  bar.  Two 
years  previous  to  this,  while  a  law-student,  he  was  permitted  to 
listen  ■  to  the  famous  words  of  his  old  college  friend,  Patrick 
Henry,  when,  as  a  member  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses, 
lie  made  his  memorable  speech  against  the  taxing  of  her  Colo- 
nies by  Great  Britain,  and,  with  the  utterance  of  those  thrilling 
words,  the  heart  oC  the  young  student  had  received  its  in- 
spiration. 

In  1768  Jefferson  served  as  a  member  of  the  First  Virginia 
Let^islature,  and  at  the  Raleigh  tavern  eighty-eight  members  of 
the  Hou.se  of  Burgesses  signed  the  "  Non-Importation  Agree- 
ment," and  were  loyally  supported  by  the  State.  This  was  the 
bet,nnning  of  a  public  life  wh'oh  was  to  coutiiiue  uuinterruptedly 
for  forty  3'ears. 

On  January  i,  1772,  in  New  York,  Thomas  Jefferson  was 
inaurien  to  Martha  Skelton,  and  their  wedding  journey  was  un- 
dertaken in  a  "two-horse  chaise,"  to  the  home  at  ]\Ionticello, 
''more  than  a  hundred  miles  away."  Nothing  but  harmony 
rei.o^ned  in  this  charming  household,  where  hospitality  sat  en- 
throned. Of  the  six  children  which  came  to  the  worthy  couple 
—five  daughters  and  one  son — but  one,  the  eldest,  survived  the 
ftitiier.     To   his  own    family,  however,  was    added    that   of  his 


;l 


36 


THK   WmTK   CITY  —  PRKvSIDKNTS. 


brother-inlaw,  Dabuey  Carr,  whose  death,  in  1773,  left  six  little 
children  fatherless.  Thus  did  h'^  truly  prove  faithful  in  a  sub- 
stantial numncr  to  the  friend  of  his  3'outh, 

On  the  burning  of  the  Ciaspci\  by  the  Rhode  Islanders,  a 
sentiment  of  sympathy  for  the  desperate  colonists  was  aroused 
in  \'irginia,  and  a  "Committee  of  correspondence"  was  organ- 
ized, and  afterward  the  Continental  Congress.  The  teuipcra- 
nient  of  Jefferson  was  mild  and  peace-loving,  and  he  addressed  a 
petition  to  the  King,  setting  forth  the  wrongs  endured  by  tlie 
Colonists,  which,  however,  was  met  by  that  personage,  with 
silent  contempt.  The  immortal  document,  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Jefferson  during  the  sunnner 
of  1776,  and  on  July  4th,  "the  most  famous  State-paper  in  the 
world  "  was  signed  by  all  the  members  of  Congress. 

On  June  i,  1779,  Thomas  Jefferson  was  made  Governor  of 
Virginia.  On  the  important  part  which  he  played  during  the 
closing  years  of  the  Revolution,  or  the  dangers  which  menaced 
the  Legislature  and  its  members  from  British  invasion,  it  is  im- 
possible to  dwell.  When,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  Jefferson  re- 
turned to  his  home,  it  was  to  soon  realize  the  greatest  sorrow  of 
his  life — the  death  of  his  beloved  wife,  the  mistress  of  Montieeilo, 
which  occurred  Sept.  6,  1782. 

The  following  iMay  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  Con- 
gress as  envoy  to  France,  and  sailed  from  Boston,  July  5,  ij'^j, 
taking  his  eldest  daughter  with  him.  For  five  years  he  repre- 
sented his  country  at  the  Coi^rt  of  France,  but  was  always  the 
American  patriot.  He  witnessed  the  opening  scenes  of  the 
French  Revolution  and  the  fall  of  the  Bastile.  The  occasion  of 
his  daughter's  engagement  to  her  cousin,  Thomas  Mann  K-an- 
dolph,  which  took  him  away  from  the  French  Capital  at  tliis 
eventful  period,  in  all  probabilit}'  saved  the  life  of  America's 
future  President.  He  was  greeted  upon  his  arrival  by  the  an- 
nouncement that  President  Washington  had  appointed  him  Sec- 
retay  of  State,  which  trying  position  he  reluctantlj'  accepted. 

Alexander    Hamilton   was   at  this   time   Secretary  ol    the 


I'RKSIDEXTS — JEKPKRSON. 


il 


Treasury,  and  these  two  brilliant  statesmen  soon  became  bitter 
opponents,  and  the  leaders  of  two  political  parties — the  Federal- 
ist and  Republican.  On  January  i,  1794,  Secretary  Jefferson 
/csi.D^ned  his  position  in  the  Cabinet,  and  retired  to  IMonticello, 
but  could  not  long  remain  the  quiet  home-loving  citizen,  being 
elected  Vice-President  in  ijQb. 

Here  as  before,  he  was  brought  into  ccmflict  with  Hamilton, 
whose  views  were  in  direct  opposition  to  his  own,  and  whose 
party,  the  Federalist,  was  diminishing,  while  the  Republican — 
"the  party  of  the  people''- — was  gaining  strength,  as  was  its 
leader,  Jefferson.  Pie  was  made  third  President  of  the  United 
States  in  1801,  and  was  inaugurated  o\\  March  4th,  with  what 
has  since  been  fittingly  designated  *'  true  democratic  simplicity," 
and,  if  he  carried  his  convictions  for  an  absence  of  displa}-  to  ex- 
tr"iue  limits,  he  no  doubt  erred  on  the  side  of  good  judgment. 

Jefferson's  first  term  was  a  happy  and  prosperous  one,  and 
the  purchase  of  Louisiana  was  an  important  event  of  this  ad- 
ministration. His  second  term  was  somewhat  clouded  by  the 
discovery  of  the  deficiency  of  his  salary  to  meet  the  demands 
upon  his  income.  This  was  made  good  out  of  his  private  re- 
sources, however,  and  on  March  4,  1809,  he  surrendered  the 
reins  of  government  to  his  successor,  James  Madison,  and  re- 
tired to  the  "  dearest  spot  on  earth  " — Monticello,  whose  walls 
resounded  with  the  patter  of  youthful  feet  and  the  glad  voices  of 
children's  children. 

One  event  of  these  later  days  must  have  greatly  rejoiced  his 
heart — it  was  the  meeting  with  LaFayette  which  occurred  in 
Oct  /bcr  1824,  after  a  separation  of  thirt3'-six  years,  during  which 
time  many  startling  everts  had  transpired  in  the  experiences  of 
each. 

The  sentiments  he  expressed  at  his  death  were  significant 
of  his  nobility  of  character  and  were,  in  effect,  that:  "His 
cahnnniators,  he  had  never  thought,  M-ere  assailing  him,  but  a 
bein^r  non-existent,  of  their  own  imagining,  to  Avliom  they  had 
sivc  11  the  name  of  Thomas  Jefferson." 


;  X 


'v 


i- 


38 


THE   WHITp;   CIT^  — PRESIDENTS. 


His  desire  to  live  until  the  anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  was  granted,  and  with  the  closing  of  that  cvor- 
memorable  da}-,  July  4th,  of  the  year  1S26,  the  third  President  of 
the  United  States  "slept  with  his  fathers,"  leaving  a  name  to  be 
revered  throughout  all  generations. 


James  ffladisei^. 


grr^ISTORY  funiislies  but  dim  outlines  of  the  early 

life  of  James  Madison,  fourth  President  of  the 

United  States.     He  M-as  the  eldest  son  of  an  old 

Virginia  family,  and  was  born  at  King  George 

(afterward  known    as    Montpelier),   in    Orange 

■i'^-i.i'  County,  Virginia,  March   i6,    1751.     From  his 

refined  and  hospitable  home,  in  the  Blue  Ridge  country, 

//.%''       after  acquiring,  under  a  private  tutor,  a  better  prepara- 

^ ;         tion  for  college  than  was  usual  in  those  days  of  limited 

school  privileges,  James  Madison  entered  Princeton  College,  in 

his  nineteenth  j'ear,  and  at  once  atti'acted  attention  as  a  tireless 

student  and  an  indefatigable  intellectual  worker. 

It  was  said  of  his  assiduity  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge, 
tliat  he  only  allowed  himself  three  hours  rest  out  of  the  twenty- 
four;  he  was  certainly  happy  in  this  energetic  endeavor  for  an 
education,  and,  while  it  is  claimed  that  his  unremitting  labors 
sapped  the  fountain  of  physical  strengtli,  he  reached  the  rather 
advanced  age  of  eighty-five,  and  while  he  lived,  lived  well. 

After  graduating,  in  1771,  he  continued  his  studies,  for  a 
time,  under  Princeton's  President,  Dr.  Witherspoon,  and  then 
returned  to  his  home  to  take  up  the  stud}-  of  the  law  and  the 
instruction  of  the  younger  members  of  his  family. 

\\'hen  but  twenty-five  years  of  age,  James  Madison  entered 
upon  his  public  career,  though  at  first  largely  through  his  pen 
and  by  debate.  In  1777  he  was  nominated  for  the  General  As- 
sembly, but,  owing  to  his  strong  convictions  on  the  subject  of 


I'risUlHiitH. 


:■# 


40 


THK   WHITP:   CITV  —  I'RHSIDENTS. 


temperance,  lost  his  election  by  refusing  to  "treat  the  voters  with 
whiskey."  This  was  onl}-  a  seeming  defeat,  however,  as  lie 
gained  a  position  of  greater  respect  for  standing  by  his  com  Ac- 
tions, and  he  socm  thereafter  received  an  appointment  to  the 
council  of  the  Governor. 

Madison,  in  1780,  was  elected  to  the  Continental  Congress, 
and,  while  serving  his  country  in  this  capacity,  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  drew  to  a  close,  and  the  Treaty  of  Peace  was  signed 
between  England,  France  and  the  ^-outhful  Republic — America. 
Four  years  later  he  left  the  National  Legislature  and  took  up  tlie 
burden  of  State  affairs  in  Virginia,  and,  in  the  revision  of  its 
statutes,  found  opportunities  for  the  exercise  of  the  knowledge 
which  he  had  acquired  in  the  Co  itinental  Congress. 

•  While  independence  had  been  gained,  still  the  aifairs  of  the 
Nation  were  in  an  unsettled  condition.  After  the  t3'raniiical 
bondage  of  George  III.,  any  attempt  at  strengthening  a  Central 
Government  was  looked  upon  by  those  who  had  participated  in 
the  defense  of  the  colonies  as  a  drifting  toward  Monarcli}-,  and 
while  this  youthful  but  studious  leader,  James  Madison,  recog- 
nized the  necessities  for  an  alliance  of  the  ''thirteen  States'  in 
a  powerful  National  Government,  it  was  no  easy  task  to  com  ert 
his  countrymen  to  his  own  decidedl}'  radical  convictions.  His 
first  effort  to  bring  the  subject  to  the  general  attention  was 
through  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  in  an  invitation  to  the  sev- 
eral States  to  assemble  at  Annapolis  for  the  purpose  of  discuss- 
ing "Pleasures  for  the  formation  of  a  more  efficient  Federal 
Government."  Out  of  the  thirteen  States,  five  responded  to  the 
call,  but,  during  this  assembl}',  the  date  was  fixed  upon  fur  a 
convention  to  be  held  at  Philadelphia,  "to  draft  a  Constitntiou 
for  the  L'nited  States,"  thus  virtualh'  admitting  the  defects  o[  the 
League  in  which  the  States  were  united  in  alliance. 

This  was  a  memorable  summer^  indeed.  With  the  cldsiiig 
of  the  Convention  the  step  had  been  taken,  but  there  was  yet 
the  arduous  task  of  securing  the  acceptance  of  the  New  Consti- 
tution by  the  States  which  opposed  the  measure.     Here   ii   uas 


PRKSIDKXTS — MADISOX. 


41 


tluu  Madison's  qualifications  were  truly  disclosed  in  the  remark- 
able papers  contriI)uted  to  the  Federalist^  setting  forth  the  issues 
at  stake,  and,  with  his  compatriots,  Hamilton  and  Jay,  the  strug- 
gle was  undertaken.  Later,  when  this  peiiod  of  anxiety  for  the 
life  of  the  Republic  had  given  place  to  one  of  more  confidence, 
the  striking  differences  in  the  measures  of  Madison  and  Hamil- 
ton were  brought  prominently  to  light,  and,  as  the  leaders  of  two 
political  parties,  these  remarkable  men  were  pitted  against  each 
nt^her;  the  former  being  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  Repub- 
Ucan,  and  the  latter  marshalling  the  Federalist  forces,  of  which 
party  he  was  the  inspirer. 

Patrick  Henry  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  in  turn  Governors  of 
Virginia,  were  the  staunch  friends  of  James  IVIadison,  and  es- 
pecially with  the  latter  was  this  friendship  a  life-long  bond. 

At  the  age  of  thirty-two,  James  Madison  opened  the  history 
(/  his  life  at  a  new  chapter,  and  on  each  page  was  written — 
"L«)ve.''  Inclined  to  look  seriously  upon  every  purpose  of  life, 
the  fickleness  of  the  object  of  his  regard  would  naturally  wound 
one  of  his  thoughtful  and  sensitive  nature,  and  yet,  when  the 
test  came,  he  accepted  the  statement  of  his  friend  Jefferson,  to 
whom  he  had  confided  his  sorrow,  that  ''  Firmness  of  mind  and 
uniutermittiug  occupation  will  not  long  leave  3-ou  in  pain." 
Eleven  years  afterward,  when  he  met  the  one  who  was  to  bless 
and  crown  his  days — Dorothy  Todd,  or  D0II3'  Madison  as  she 
was  later  known, — the  romance  of  those  earlier  years  had  gone 
nut  from  his  consciousness,  and  left  no  wound  or  scar. 

The  charms  of  this  young  Quaker  widow  lia\e  been  written 
and  sung  until  it  is  mere  repetition  to  dwell  upon  the  portraj^al 
if  her  lovely  personality  or  character ;  still  to  mention  James 
Madison  is  to  recall  to  mind  the  gracious  mistress  of  the  White 
House,  whose  trjang  duties  as  "  first  lady  of  the  land "  con- 
tinued during  the  unprecedented  period  of  sixteen  j^ears  (fi)r 
eii^lit  years  as  the  wife  of  the  Secretarj-  of  State,  under  President 
Jefferson,  who  was  a  widower),  and  of  whom  it  was  said  that  "  she 
never  forgot  a  name  or  a  face.''     She  was  also  a  born  diplomat, 


wmm 


1^ 


43 


THK   WHITE   CITY  —  PRKSIDKXTS. 


wlien  used  in  that  word's  kindliest  sense,  since  it  was  her  hi,t>]iest 
pleasure  to  bring  people  to  recognize  the  best  there  was  in  each 
other,  and  to  disarm  jealousy  and  petty  strife  by  a  tact  as  10- 
niarkable  as  rare.  • 

With  the  3'car  1801,  under  President  Jefferson,  James  Madi- 
is(m  was  made  Secretary  of  State,  and  was  identified  with  that 
leader's  policy  and  party — the  Republican — and  at  the  close  of 
his  second  term,  this  "  great  little  man,"  as  Aaron  Burr  chose  to 
call  him,  succeeded  to  that  most  honorable  position — President  of 
the  United  States.  This  admir.istration  has  its  important  liis- 
torical  epoch  in  the  declaration  of  war  with  Great  Britain,  whicli 
act  of  Congress  was  approved  by  Madison  on  June  8,  181 2. 

We  will  not  linger  upon  these  thrilling  events.  During 
this  time,  which  "tried  men's  souls,"  Dolly  Madisor.  proved  her- 
self as  brave  as  she  was  lovely,  and,  though  in  imminent  daiit^cr 
of  capture  by  the  "  Redcoats,"  stood  at  her  post  until  she  had  se- 
cured the  valuable  State  and  private  papers  and  the  portrait  of 
General  Washington,  and  then  entered  her  carriage  to  seek 
safety  in  flight.  Madison's  life  was  also  in  great  peril,  but,  with 
the  dawn  of  the  morning  following  the  most  eventful  of  those 
tr3'ing  da3's,  the  British  had  retreated,  the  President  was  un- 
harmed, but  the  White  House  la}'  in  ruins. 

Two  years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  James  Madison  was 
again  a  private  citizen  and  retired  to  the  enjoyment  of  his 
lovely  Montpelier  home.  Once  afterward,  in  1829,  he  was  called 
by  his  State,  from  the  quiet  of  his  home,  to  take  part  in  her 
affairs,  as  a  member  of  the  Convention  to  revise  the  Constitution, 
and  his  words  were  listened  to  with  marked  attention.  Like 
Washington  and  Jefferson  he  was  opposed  to  the  institution  ot 
slaver}',  and  expressed  his  opinions  upon  the  subject  in  no  un- 
certain terms. 

Though  at  all  times  of  delicate  health  and  enfeebled 
physique,  the  mind  of  the  fourth  President  of  the  United  States 
was  clear  and  undimmed.  He  had  endured  much  discomfort  in 
the  sufferings  of  the  mortal  body,  but  he  had  also  experienced 


PRESIDENTS —  MADISON. 


43 


iiincli  pleasure  through  the  iniiul  which  was  that  body's  seat  of 
happiness. 

James  Madison  passed  awa}'  on  June  2iS,  1836,  and  his 
widow  survi\ed  liini  thirteen  years.  His  life  forms  an  impor- 
tant chapter  in  the  History  of  the  Nation,  both  from  the  events 
of  that  period  and  his  connection  with  the  great  men  of  his  time; 
and  to  his  name — as  to  those  of  his  predecessors  in  the  Presi- 
dential chair — should  be  added,  in  letters  of  undying  light — 
Patriot. 


.-M^-^.^^, 


Jarr?es  fflonpoe. 


J-<t\  HE  family  of  James  Monroe  immigrated  to  Amer- 
ica and  established  themselves  in  Mrginia  in 
1652.  His  father  was  a  planter,  and  his  estate  in 
Westmoreland  County  was  near  the  head  of  the 
creek  which  bears  his  name,  and  which  empties 
into  the  Potomac  River.  At  the  date  of  the  birtli 
of  this  son,  April  28,  1758,  the  tobacco  plantation 
of  the  Alonroe  family  was  yielding  a  large  income, 
and  in  this  prosperous  home  the  childhood  of  the  future  Presi- 
dent was  happily  passed.  The.se  comfortable  surroundings,  how- 
ever, did  not  engender  a  spirit  of  apathy  toward  the  condition 
of  the  Commonwealth,  for  the  son  seems  to  have  remembered 
to  a  good  purpose  the  burning  words  which  must  have  entered 
largel}-  into  the  daily  conversation  of  that  liberty-loving  family. 
The  means  at  command  provided  for  him  the  best  educa- 
tional advantages,  and  young  Monroe,  after  attending  a  "classical 
school,"  entered  William  and  Mary  College,  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, where  he  remained  for  two  years. 

W^ith  the  Declaration  of  Independence  the  youthfid  patriot 
could  no  longer  be  restrained  within  college  walls,  and  he  has- 
tened to  New  York  and  "enrolled  himself  as  a  cadet  in  the 
army."  He  soon  proved  the  mettle  of  which  he  was  made,  and, 
from  the  rank  of  Captain,  gained  at  Trenton,  was  advanced  to 
that  of  Major;  this  last  promotion,  however,  "lost  him  his 
place  in  the  Continental  line,"  owing  to  his  ability  being  recog- 
nized  by  Washington,  who  commissioned  him  to  raise  a  new 


I'rfsiOcHts. 


44 


PRKSIDENTS — MONROK. 


45 


regiment  in  his  own  State;  bnt  as  the  younjj^  men  of  Virginia 
had  already  so  nobly  responded  to  the  call  and  entered  the 
Nortliern  army,  his  effort  proved  a  failnre. 

Chagrined  at  what  mnst  have  appeared  to  this  yonthful 
patriot  as  a  signal  defeat,  he  was,  for  a  time,  painfnlly  despon- 
dent, but  finally  yielded  to  the  voice  of  better  judgment  and  re- 
turned to  the  pursuit  of  his  studies,  taking  up  the  law,  under 
Thonuis  Jefferson,  then  Governor  of  Virginia. 

The  public  career  of  James  Monroe  began  at  the  earl'  age 
of  twenty-three,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  Virginia  Assembly 
and  was  made  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council.  Additional 
honors  came  to  him  when,  the  following  year,  he  was  chosen  a 
delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress  for  a  term  of  three  years, 
and  participated  at  its  sessions  in  Annapolis,  Trenton  and  New 
York.  While  in  the  latter  cit}'  he  formed  the  acqitaintance  of 
Miss  Elizabeth  Kortright,  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Lauituce 
Kortright,  and  their  marriage  occurred  in  17.S6.  This  was  in 
the  midst  of  troublous  times.  The  Constitution  had  been  framed, 
and  its  supporters  were  activel}-  advocating  its  acceptance.  In- 
spired by  an  equally  patriotic  sentiment,  but  with  eyes  which 
saw  only  danger  in  a  Coristitution  investing  a  Central  Govern- 
ment with  such  large  powers,  and  taking  alarm  at  the  audacious 
measures  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  who  was  carr3'ing  forward  his 
brilliant  purposes,  Monioe  "opposed  the  ratification  of  the  Con- 
stituticm  by  the  States." 

Wh  le  the  French  people  were  still  trembling  with  the 
horrors  of  the  Revolution,  Washington  commissioned  Monroe 
to  represent  the  United  States  as  IMinister  to  that  Nation.  On  his 
arrival,  he  waited  some  days  for  recognition  from  the  French 
National  Convention,  and  then  addressed  a  letter  to  its  President. 
This  accomplished  the  desired  purpose  and  he  was  given  a  more 
than  cordial  welcome.  In  fact,  it  is  said  of  his  responsive  speech, 
that,  carried  away  by  emotions  inspired  bj'  the  cordiality  of  his  re- 
ception, he  "committed  his  country  too  far  to  the  side  of  France." 
England  was  watching  with  suspicious  eyes,  and  the  Federalist 


IHi 


46 


TUl'.  WlIITl'.  CITV — I'Kl'.SIDr.NTS. 


party,  in  America,  cinpliatically  resented  his  liberty  of  spteoli. 
This  mission  was  not  without  its  mistakes.  Monroe's  evidnii 
leaninjj^  toward  the  French  Nation,  his  lack  of  tact  in  neutrali/.- 
inj4  the  grievances  of  so  important  a  power  as  England,  and 
overlooking  the  "authorities  at  home,"  brought  him  more  and 
more  into  disfavor,  until  he  was  recalled  by  his  government,  in 
1796.  He  was  soon  afterward  elected  Governor  of  \'irginia  for 
the  term  of  three  years. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  century  Jefferson  saw  the  opjjor- 
tunity  to  secure  for  the  United  States  the  vast  territory  named 
Louisiana,  then  in  possession  of  the  French  Nation.  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  needed  increased  revenues  to  carry  out  his  cherished 
purposes;  the  United  States  wanted  Louisiana.  Monroe  was 
commissioned  by  Jefferson  to  consummate  the  purchase;  this  lie 
did,  paying  for  the  coveted  territory  $15,000,000,  and  regardinjL^ 
the  act  ever  afterward  as  his  most  important  service  to  the 
Country. 

A  part  of  his  mission  abroad,  at  this  time,  was  with  tlie 
English  Government,  but  his  treat}'  with  that  nation  failed  to 
meet  the  approval  of  the  President,  much  to  the  disappointment 
of  the  Alinister.  He  was  not  without  honors,  however,  for  in 
181 1  he  was  again  elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  during  his 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  State  was  called  to  a  Cabinet 
position,  being  made  Secretary  of  State,  to  which  were  afterward 
added  the  arduous  duties  of  Secretary  of  War. 

He  was  "the  master-spirit  of  the  hour"  at  the  dark  and 
trying  period  of  the  burning  of  the  city  '^f  Washington,  and 
proved,  indeed,  a  power  for  good  to  the  Nation,  by  the  inspira- 
tion of  his  patriotism  and  sacrifice.  When  the  treasury  w  as  ex- 
hausted, he  it  was  who  stepped  forward  and  "pledged  his  private 
fortune  to  supply  the  country's  pressing  needs."  The  Repnbkc 
nnist  be  victorious,  and  Monroe,  though  recognizing  his  cirtain 
defeat  for  the  Presidency  in  so  unpopular  a  measure,  was  read\ 
to  sacrifice  himself  for  the  good  of  the  cause,  by  issuing  a  call 
for  a  hundred  thousand  men.     The  demand  was  not    necessary, 


PRKSir)KNTS  —  MONRO!". 


47 


however,  and  soon  thereafter  the  "Treaty  of  (ihetit"  was  sij^ncd. 

Jiinics  Monroe  was  made  President  in  1S17,  and  his  admin- 
istration was  far  more  peacefnl  than  any  previons  one ;  in  fact,  it 
has  lieen  spoken  of  as  "the  era  of  j^ood  feeling."  He  was  re- 
elected for  a  .second  term  with  bnt  one  dissenting  voice,  showing 
the  pnpularit\'  of  his  official  career. 

.Vinong  the  most  important  affairs  engaging  the  attention  of 
President  Monroe  dnring  his  donble  term  were:  "the  defense  of 
the  Atlantic  Sea-board,  the  promotion  of  internal  improvements, 
the  Seminole  War,  the  acqnisition  of  Florida,  the  Missonri  com- 
promise, and  resistance  to  foreign  interference  with  American 
affairs." 

In  his  message  of  Dec.  2,  1S23,  he  proclaimed  a  platform 
known  as  the  "  Monroe  Doctrine,"  "promnlgating  the  policy  of 
neither  entangling  the  United  States  in  the  broils  of  Europe, 
nor  suffering  the  powers  of  the  Old  \V(ndd  to  interfere  with  the 
affairs  of  the  New;"  and  this  policy  has  met  the  approval  of 
P'-oniinent  .statesmen  fror.i  its  inception  down  to  the  present  time. 

James  Monroe  retired  to  his  lovely  home  at  Oak  Hill, 
Loudon  County,  Virginia,  at  the  cloi^^  of  his  administration,  and 
enjoyed  in  a  quiet,  simple  way  its  grateful  rest.  The  death  of 
his  wife,  in  1830,  was  a  severe  blow,  and  such  reverses  of  fortune 
visited  him  as  compelled  him  to  relinquish  his  charming  home. 
The  friend  of  his  early  years,  LaFayette,  whom  he  had  be- 
friended in  the  days  of  darkest  trial  and  danger,  now  proffered 
generous  assistance,  but  the  statesman  did  not  sec  fit  to  accept 
the  offer  .so  delicately  tendered. 

Monroe's  closing  days  were  passed  with  liis  daughter  in 
New  York,  and  on  the  anniversar}'  of  a  day  made  memorable  by 
events  both  stirring  and  sad — July  4th,  of  the  }'ear  1.S31 — the 
tifth  President  of  the  United  States  passed  peacefully  away. 


II 


John  Quincv  Jlclams. 


OHN  gUINCY,  the  eldest  son  of  John  and  Ai.i.trail 
Adams,  was  born  Jnly  ii,  1767,  at  Nortli  Hraiu- 
tree,  Massachusetts,  and  was  destined  in  the  curly 
years  of  his  life  to  be  a  witness  of  such  stining 
scenes  as  have  embellished  the  pages  of  American  his. 
tory  with  its  most  tragic  pictures.  At  the  age  of  ci^iit 
years  he  beheld,  from  the  summit  of  one  of  the  hills 
of  his  native  parish,  the  destruction  of  Charlcstown, 
which  carried  dismay  to  the  anxious  hearts  of  the  waiting  Amer- 
ican Colonists,  but  resulted  in  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  that 
"day  of  days,"  June  17,  1775,  wl:  1  ''  Massachusetts  had  seen 
the  darkest,  most  glorious  day  in  her  history.'' 

To  one  of  his  thoughtful  temperament,  the  thrilling  scenes 
of  these  eventful  days  were  the  unfolding  of  a  maturer  t]i()u;<lit 
than  such  early  years  would  usually  disclose,  and  the  influences 
about  him  were  also  favorable  to  patriotic  sentiment,  as  well  as 
the  development  of  a  high  moral  and  intellectual  growth.  In  his 
eleventh  year,  his  father  received  the  appointment  of  envoy  to 
France,  and  it  Avas  decided  that  this — hi::  eldest — son  sliould 
accompany  him.  He  was  placed  at  school  in  the  French  capital 
and  rapidly  acquired  the  language  of  that  country,  returning  to 
America  with  his  father  a  year  and  a  half  later,  but  agairi  ac- 
companied him  to  Europe,  after  a  brief  home  visit,  John  Adaiiis 
liaving  received  an  appointment  taking  him  to  Hollancl.  The 
son  then  pursued  his  studies  for  a  time  at  Amsterdam,  Leydeii 
and  Paris,  when  he  received  the  appointment  of  private  secretary 


PTet'idents. 


48 


I'kKSIPHNTS — ADAMS. 


49 


to  I'Vancis  Dana,  envoy  from  the  United  States  to  Russia,  and 
thus  entered  the  dij)h)niatic  service  at  the  aj^e  of  fourteen  years. 
Later,  he  joined  his  father  in  Paris,  and  hecanie  liis  secretary 
when  nejj^otiations  were  pendinjjf  for  a  treaty  of  jjcace  between 
Gn  at  Hritain  and  her  American  coh)nies. 

In  1785  an  imijortaut  decision  was  made  which  indicated  the 
mettle  of  the  j'outhful  (liph)mat.  His  father  had  received  the 
appointment  of  Minister  to  St.  James,  and  the  son  would  thence- 
forth find  every  avenue  to  cultivated  .society  and  court  life  open- 
\n]f  before  him.  In  the  face  of  these  brilliant  prospects,  however, 
he  decided  upon  a  ctmrse  of  study  at  Harvard,  and,  returning  to 
liis  native  land,  entered  the  junior  class  and  was  jj^raduated  in 
17S7.  Later  he  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
ajije  of  twenty-three,  enterinjj^  immediately  upon  the  practice  of 
his  professi(.n  in  Boston.  In  his  twenty-.seventh  year  he  was 
c'linunissioncd  Minister  to  The  Hague,  where  he  arrived  October 
31,  1794.  The  condition  of  forcij^n  affairs,  at  this  time,  made  his 
position  one  requiring  much  di.scretion  in  its  management,  but 
he  is  credited  with  successfully  meeting  the  difficulties  of  the 
position,  and  by  diplomacy  avoiding  the  pitfalls  which  would 
have  engulfed  unwary  feet. 

In  London  he  met  Miss  Louise  Catherine  Johnson,  daughter 
of  the  American  Consul,  and  on  July  26,  1797,  their  marriage 
was  consummated,  and  proved  a  happy  and  congenial  union 
through  the  half  century  of  wedded  life  which  succeeded. 

Just  following  an  appointment  as  Minister  to  Portugal,  came 
tlic  announcement  of  his  father's  succession  to  the  Presidency  of 
the  United  States,  and,  with  his  characteristic  good  judgment, 
the  son  signified  his  decision  to  resign.  Washington  did  not 
concur  in  this  >new^  of  the  situation,  and  insisted  that  his  father 
should  retain  him  in  a  position  for  which  he  was  so  well  qualified. 
He  was  appointed  Minister  to  Berlin  and  finally  .secured  a  treaty 
of  "Amity  and  Commerce"  between  the  United  States  and 
Prussia.  He  then  asked  for  his  recall,  which  came  with  the 
closing  of  his  father's  administration. 


^•'^Kmmm 


50 


thp:  whith  citv  —  rKHsiDKX'rs. 


'Mii 


111  1802  John  Quincy  Adams  was  elected  by  the  Federal  party 
to  the  vState  Senate,  and  the  followiiiij^  year,  was  chosen  United 
States  Senator.  Here  his  position  was  made  extremely  unpleas- 
ant by  the  opposition  of  the  Republicans,  then  in  power,  and  als  > 
b}-  the  Federalists,  who  attributed  their  defeat  to  the  elder 
Adams,  while  the  son  was  made  the  object  of  the  rancorous  sen- 
timents of  both  parties  for  the  four  succeeding  3'cars. 

Then  came  issues  of  great  moment  to  the  United  States, 
among  them  the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  in  which  John  Quincy 
Adams  favored  the  policy  of  Jefferson,  and  brought  down  u])()n 
himself  the  disapproval  of  the  Federalists,  who  were  English 
sympathizers  in  matters  of  policy.  He  supported  the  Presi- 
dent's ''non-importation  act,"  and  resented  the  blows  aimed 
by  the  English  at  American  commerce.  The  act  of  "Britisli 
impressment"  was  the  crowning  injury  which  he  set  himself 
steadfastly  against,  and,  not  as  fully  covering  the  ground,  but  as 
a  "step  in  the  right  direcLion,"  voted  for  the  bill  establishing  an 
embargo  against  England;  this  act  roused  his  party  to  such 
frenzy  against  him  that  they  nominated  his  successor. 

In  1809,  under  President  Madison,  John  Quincy  Adams  was 
appointed  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  Russia,  and  spent  the 
four  and  a  half  years  following  at  the  Court  of  the  Romanoffs. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  Commissioners  who  took  part  in  the  cel- 
ebrated "Treaty  of  Ghent,"  in  1814,  which  event  was  hailed  with 
much  rejoicing  b}'  America,  and  accepted  by  England  as  the 
lesser  of  threatened  ills. 

The  following  May,  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed  Envoy 
Extraordinar}-  and  Minister  Plcnipotentiar\'  to  England,  and  re- 
iiKiined  two  years  at  the  Court  of  St.  James,  returning  to  his 
native  land  on  June  15,  181 7,  where  he  accepted  new  duties  as 
Secretary  of  State  under  President  Monroe. 

In  spite  of  the  bitter  opposition  of  political  rivals,  John 
Quincy  Adams  v»'as  inaugurated  President,  March  4,  1825;  !>ut. 
though  a  faithful  worker  in  the  interest  of  the  Nation,  he  seemed 
lacking  in  <"he  qualities  which  would  win  him  a  faithful  follo^ving. 


i'ki-,sii)i-:N"rs — a  dams. 


He  was  unwilling'  to  bend  to  popular  opinion,  and  was  often 
misunderstood,  although  greatly  admired  and  respected  by  those 
wlio  were  in  position  to  appreciate  his  sterling  qualities  of  heart 
and  mind. 

He  was  succeeded  in  the  Presidential  Chair  b}'  Andrew 
Jackson,  and  retired  to  his  home  at  Oninc}^  but  not  to  remain 
loiiijthe  private  citizen,  for  the  "  National  Republicans  "  (later 
known  as  "Whigs")  elected  him  to  Congress,  where  he  took  his 
sent  in  December,  1831.  If  it  seemed  to  many  a  "descent  in 
ofiiciai  life"  that  the  ex-President  should  consent  to  serve  his 
constituency  in  this  capacity,  it  was  at  no  time  so  regarded  by 
Mr.  Adama,  whose  own  words  emphatically  declare  his  senti- 
ments: "No  person  could  be  degraded  by  serving  the  people  in 
Con.y^ress.  Nor,  in  my  opinion,  would  an  ex-President  of  the 
United  States  be  degraded  by  serving  as  a  Selectman  of  his 
town,  if  thereto  elected." 

In  Congress  Mr.  Adams  at  all  times  stood  for  the  principles 
he  advocated,  regardless  of  the  frown  or  favor  of  his  colleagues. 
He  was  not  an  orator,  nor  did  he  possess  an  attractive  person- 
ality, and  age  was  now  adding  the  touches  which  are  never 
pleasing  to  the  e3'e,  but  there  was  no  lack  of  interest  in  his 
words,  which  were  the  powerful  expressions  of  earnest  convic- 
tion and  the  result  of  profound  thought  and  varied  experience. 

When  the  cause  of  slavery  became  a  prominent  subject  of 
consideration  in  Congress,  the  stand  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  as 
a  leader  of  that  '*  forlorn  hope,"  brought  upon  him  bitterest 
invective  and  unbounded  opposition,  but  instead  of  yielding  to 
the  demand  of  popular  sentiment,  he  was  not  to  be  moved  from 
the  position  which  he  had  taken,  when  lie  believed  that  his 
opinions  were  based  upon  a  principle  to  be  maintained. 

The  final  summons  came  to  Mr.  Adams  while  at  his  pust  of 
duty,  when  he  rose  to  address  Congress,  on  February  21,  184S. 
He  lingered  until  the  evening  of  the  23d,  however,  declaring  in 
his  latest  conscious  moment:  "This  is  the  end  of  earth.  I  am 
content." 


'•oMMSe 


'^■lMlliiaiilittt0umii  ■ 


""m 


ll; 


Andpcw  Jackson. 


^^  XDREW  JACKSON,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  the  Waxhaw  settlement,  Union 
Count}',  North  Carolina,  on  ]\Iarch  15,  1767, 
and  under  conditions  as  discouraging  and  in- 
auspicious as  could  well  be  imagined.  His 
parents  (who  were  of  Scotch  descent)  had 
emigrated  from  the  north  of  Ireland  with  their  two  sons, 
Hugh  and  Robert,  two  years  previous,  not  as  well-to-do  people, 
but  as  honest  and  earnest  seekers  for  a  betterment  of  fortune. 
When  Andrew  Jack.sou  opened  his  eyes  upon  this  ''theater  of 
action"  in  which  he  was  to  play  so  important  a  part,  it  was  to 
realize  a  mother's  love  only,  for  his  father's  death  had  come  as  a 
crushing  blow  upon  the  little  household  a  short  time  previous  to 
his  birth. 

His  early  years  were  passed  in  the  famil}^  of  an  uncle,  and 
the  rudiments  of  an  education  were  gained  by  attending  the 
schools  in  the  neighborhood,  but  he  is  not  credited  with  an  un- 
usual eartiestness  in  the  pursuit  of  book-lore,  his  dis])ositioii 
directing  his  energies  in  tl;e  line  of  greater  activity. 

During  the  War  of  the  Revolution  the  Carolinas  were  the 
scenes  of  terrible  carnage  and  devastation,  and,  though  still  in 
his  "teens,"  the  boy's  earnest  nature  was  stirred  to  bitterest  re- 
sentment by  the  indignities  sustained  at  the  hands  ot  the 
British.  The  oldest  brother,  Hugh  Jackson,  had  joined  the 
militia,  and  lost  his  life  in  the  service  of  his  country,  i.ntcr, 
Andrew  and  his  brother  Robert  were  taken  prisoners  of  wnr  and 


I'ri'siUciils. 


W 


PRESIDENTS — JACKSON. 


53 


both  were  wounded  by  au  officer  of  the  dragoons  whose  treat- 
ment they  had  dared  to  resent.  After  suffering  the  greatest 
hardships,  the  entreaties  of  Mrs.  Jackson  secured  an  exchange 
of  prisoners  of  war  and  she  started  with  her  two  sons  for  the 
home  at  Waxhaw,  but,  before  the  weary  journey  was  ended, 
Robert  liad  closed  his  e3'es  upon  the  scenes  of  mortal  existence, 
and  Andrew  was  battling  with  the  "grim  destroyer." 

The  sufferings  of  her  beloved  children  fired  the  heart  of  this 
noble  mother  in  behalf  of  other  sons,  and,  in  17S1,  Mrs.  Jackson 
undertook  the  mission  of  ministering  to  the  needs  of  the  inmates 
of  the  prison-ships  at  Charleston  ;  but  when  Andrew^  Jackson 
had  reached  his  fifteenth  year,  he  was  an  orphan,  for  the  mother's 
life  had  been  sacrificed  at  the  post  of  duty,  as  she  no  doubt  re- 
garded the  labor  she  had  undertaken. 

The  ensuing  j^ears  are  eventful  ones  in  the  life  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  whose  strong  w'ill  and  imperious  temper,  did  not  add 
to  his  popularity  either  among  his  relatives  or  companions.  He 
became  dissipated,  and,  for  a  time,  followed  the  bent  of  his  wild 
arid  wayward  nature,  but  when  he  came  to  a  realization  of  the 
ine\  itable  result  of  such  living,  his  reform  was  as  genuine  as  his 
dissipation  had  been  reckless. 

He  undertook  the  study  of  the  law,  at  Salisbur3%  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  two  ye;irs  later.  Receiving  the  appointment  of 
Solicitor  for  Washingtoi  County  (now  State  of  Tennessee),  in 
this  wild  region,  where  a  uost  every  known  danger  must  be 
encountered,  his  energies  found  ample  exercise,  and  the  sterling 
([ludities  of  his  character  were  acknowledged  b}-  friends  and 
enemies  alike. 

In  personal  appearance  he  is  described  as  liardlj'  "prepo.s- 
sessing,"  being  "  thin-faced,  reddish-haired,  tall  and  angular," 
but  his  blue  eyes  were  ablaze  with  excitement  at  the  slightest 
pro\()cation,  and  his  earnestness,  together  with  a  certain  magnet- 
ism of  personality,  commanded  consideration  and  respect. 

In  1791  young  Jackson  was  married  to  Mrs.  Rachel  Robards, 
a  lady  of   noble  qualities,   but  whose   previous    marriage    had 


54 


THK   WHITH   CITV  —  I'RKSIDKNTS. 


proven  so  intolerable  as  to  compel  the  annnllinj^  of  those  ties. 
The  new  relations,  thongh  assnmed  nnder  these  trying  circiuu- 
stanccs,  were  most  happy  to  both  parties. 

In  179^  Andrew  Jackson  was  elected  to  Congress,  as  Rep- 
resentative of  the  new  State  of  Tennessee,  aiid  was  sent  to  the 
Senate  the  following  year.  He  was  also  chosen  Jndge  of  the 
Snpreme  Conrt,  and  thns  enjo3-ed  snch  honors  as  ha\e  fallen  to 
the  lot  of  few  men  at  the  age  of  thirtj'-two  3'ears. 

Abont  this  time  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pnrsnits,  whieli 
he  followed  in  connection  with  his  official  dnties,  and  in  tlie 
ventnres  met  with  considerable  success  until  the  Bank  of  Hiii,^- 
land  snspended  payment,  in  1797,  when,  throngh  the  business 
failure  of  a  friend,  whose  notes  he  had  endorsed,  he  found  him- 
self in  the  trying  position  of  a  heav}-  debtor.  To  free  himself 
from  this  embarassment  was  his  immediate  purpose,  so  he  re- 
signed his  Judgeship,  sold  his  plantation,  paid  his  debts  and  ''.set 
up  business"  at  "Clover  Bottom,"  near  Nashville,  where  he 
proved  himself  a  successful  financier. 

When  war  with  England  was  declared,  in  1812,  the  services 
of  Mr.  Jackson  (who  had  received  the  appointment  of  Major- 
Gcneral  of  the  Tennessee  Militia)  were  accepted,  and,  with 
twenty-five  hundred  volunteers,  he  set  out  for  Natchez,  only  to 
receive  an  order  to  disband  the  troops  on  his  arrival  at  that 
point.  Contrary  to  instructions,  however,  he  resolved  to  under- 
take the  return  march  with  the  little  company  who  had  shared 
with  him  the  hardships  of  the  journe}-,  since  the}- were  "without 
pay,  without  means  of  transportation,  without  provision  for  the 
sick."  It  was  during  this  disheartening  march  that  he  was  ^iveii 
the  appellation  of  "Old  Hickory,"  which  clung  to  him  so  te- 
naciously during  all  his  after  life.  This  journey,  so  fraught  with 
trials  and  suffering,  likewise  drew  to  him  a  faithful  following,  and 
won  the  highest  regard  of  the  soldiery,  by  whom  he  had  hitherto 
been  misunderstood  and  feared. 

The  stirring  events  of  this  period  would  be  of  particular 
and  fascinating  interest,  but  it  is  impossible  to  enter  into  Uieir 


PRKSIDKXTS  —  JACKSOX. 


55 


det.iiled  record.  Andrew  Jackson's  generalship  sttaids  cnit  most 
prominently  in  the  defense  of  New  Orleans,  in  December,  1S14, 
against  which  cit}'^  the  British  troops  were  marching  with  the 
firm  belief  that  the}-  were  "invincible,"  and  that  the  enenu'  mnst 
spetdily  snrrender. 

Jaiinar\-  8,  1815,  is  regarded  as  General  Jackson's  "day  of 
days,"  when  the  British  troops  were  so  signally  defeated  at  New 
Orleans,  and  the  battle-plain  strewn  with  their  dead  and  dying. 
It  was  a  sharp  and  decisive  encoiinter,  lasting  less  than  a  half 
hour,  but  the  militia  of  the  frontier  were  splendid  marksmen, 
and  met  the  advance  of  the  veteran.':  wrch  so  nnexpected  a  re- 
sistance, and  with  such  devastating  fire,  that  the  astonished 
British  troops  were  nnable  to  stand  before  the  foe.  This  was  the 
closing  chapter  of  hostilities,  and  the  central  fignre  was  General 
.\ndrcw  Jackson,  the  hero  of  that  memorable  da}'. 

During  the  Seminole  War,  Jackson  was  an  important  figure, 
and  the  course  he  took  during  this  campaign  was  both  applauded 
and  criticised.  In  1821  he  was  made  Governor  of  Florida,  but 
resigned  the  office  in  a  few  months  and  returned  to  his  home — 
The  Hermitage. 

Three  years  later  when  his  name  was  proposed  b}-  the  Leg- 
islature of  his  State,  for  President,  it  was  not  favorably  regarded 
by  his  party  leaders  throughout  the  country.  That  he  had  a 
"genius  for  fighting,"  Mas  admitted  by  all,  but  that  he  should 
succeed  men  of  such  scholarly  attainments,  as  were  his  prede- 
cessors, was  not  so  readily  conceded.  He  v\as  sent  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  however,  in  1823-4,  and  before  the  close  of  the 
latter  3'ear,  having  received  the  nomination  to  the  Presidenc}', 
proved  that  his  name  was  so  popular  wi^ii  the  masses  that  he 
was  defeated  by  a  very  small  vote,  John  Quincy  Adams  being 
his  successful  rival. 

The  next  attempt  of  his  friends  to  place  Mr.  Jackson  in 
the  Presidential  chair  was  successful,  but  his  triumph  was  m- 
terniingled  with  trials — his  beloved  wife  dying  at  this  memorable 
period  of  his  career.     He  went  to  the  White  House  a  saddened 


«««Hai 


56 


THH  WHITH  crrv  —  PRKSIDHNTS. 


man,  only  contemplating  one  term;  and  his  re-election  by  an 
overwhelming  majority  over  his  opponent  proved  the  popularity 
of  his  administration. 

On  retiring  to  the  Hermitage,  it  was  to  take  up  a  home  life 
which  forms  a  picture  in  strange  contrast  to  many  of  the  scein.-, 
of  his  earlier  days.  An  adopted  son  and  his  wife  with  tlicir 
happy  family  were  his  household,  to  which  should  be  added  tin: 
small  army  of  slaves  on  the  plantation,  whom  he  treated  with 
the  grv-'atest  consideration  and  indulgence,  though  always  main- 
taining, however,  the  right  and  justice  of  the  "institution." 

Andrew  Jackson's  death,  on  June  8,  1845,  was  deeply 
mourned.  His  nature  was,  in  .some  respects,  a  dual  one,  with 
fierce  temper  and  viudictiveness  on  the  one  hand,  but  with  ;i 
heart  as  tender  as  a  woman's,  on  the  other. 

He  was  buried  b}-  the  side  of  his  wife,  whose  memory  he  so 
fondly  cherished,  and,  with  the  ''dust  to  dust,"  the  curtain  falls 
upon  one  whose  life  was  a  succession  of  stirring  events  from  the 
cradle  to  the  grave. 


is 


MQPtin  Van  Bupcn. 


ROM  Wasliiugton  to  Jackson,  the  Presidents  of 
the  Un'ted  States  had  been  sons  of  the  Revo- 
lution. But  now,  into  the  arena  of  public  life, 
there  came  a  new  generation,  and  3'ounger 
hands  must  direct  the  ship  of  State  through  the 
great  river  of  Time.  Of  this  new  school  Martin 
Van  Buren  was  the  first  to  occup}-  the  chair  of 
Chief  Magistrate.  Mr.  Van  Buren's  ancestors 
were  among  the  early  emigrants  from  Holland,  who  set- 
tled in  the  ancient  town  of  Kinderhook,  New  York.  His  father 
was  a  farmer,  of  moderate  means,  beloved  and  respected  by  all 
wh'i  knew  him,  and  here  Martin  Van  Buren  was  born,  December 

He  attended  the  village  school  and  in  due  time  was  sent  to 
the  Kinderhook  Academy,  where  he  pro'-ed  to  be  a  ver}-  diligent 
student  and  made  good  progress  in  his  studies.  At  an  earl}'  age 
\'au  Buren  displa\'ed  a  decided  passion  for  composition  and  ex- 
tempore speaking,  and  was  a  close  student  of  human  nature. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  Van  Buren  entered  the  law  office  of 
Francis  Sylvestor,  in  his  native  town,  nud  while  here  evinced 
much  interest  in  the  polic}-  of  government  and  the  claims  of  the 
K'reat  political  parties  of  his  day.  The  last  year  of  his  prepara- 
tory law  stud}-  was  passed  in  the  office  of  William  P.  Van  Ness, 
in  the  city  of  New  York.  In  1803  Van  Buren  was  admitted  to 
the  l)ar  and  at  once  returned  to  his  native  village  where  he  began 


I'ri'^iili'iils. 


w 


mmm 


^S 


Tin-.    WHITK    CITY  —  PRKSIDKNTS. 


tlie  practice  of  his  profession  in  partnership  with  his  half 
brother,  James  I.  Van  Allen. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Van  Biircn  was  so  snccessful  that,  aiiioii}^ 
all  the  brilliant  and  learned  lawyers  of  his  day,  lie  was,  in  iSit;, 
ap]:)ointcd  Attorney-General  of  the  State.  He  had  previousl}', 
in  1812,  been  elected  to  the  New  York  State  Senate  where  ho 
served  with  distinguished  honor. 

;Mr.  Van  Bnren  was  married  in  1806  to  Miss  Hannah  Hoes, 
a  most  estimable  lad3%  who  died  in  1818,  of  consumption. 

In  182 1  Mr.  Van  Bureii  entered  the  United  States  Senate 
and  was  re-elected  in  1827,  but  resigned  his  seat  in  1828  and  was 
elected  Governor  of  the  Empire  State.  When  President  Jackson 
formed  his  cabinet,  in  1829,  he  offered  the  portfolio  of  State  to 
Mr.  Van  Buren,  Avhich  was  accepted.  He  served  as  Secretary  of 
State  until  183 1,  when  he  was  appointed  minister  to  the  Court 
of  St.  James,  but,  in  the  succeeding  year,  was  elected  \'ice- 
Presidcnt  on  the  same  ticket  with  General  Jackson.  On  the 
fourth  of  ]\Iarch,  1837,  ^^^-  ^'^^^  Buren  was  inaugurated  eighth 
President  of  the  I'^nited  States.  His  administration  was  begun 
under  much  financial  depression.  The  country  was  flooded  with 
bank  notes  Avhich  gave  a  fictitious  value  to  almost  every  article 
of  merchandise,  and  speculation  in  the  public  lands  became 
enormous.  President  Jack.son,  in  order  to  restrain  this  undue 
sale  of  lands,  issued  an  order  requiring  the  collectors,  at  the 
varous  Land  Offices,  to  receive  only  gold  and  silver  in  payment 
for  land;  and,  shortl}-  after,  Congr(?ss  passed  an  act  distributing 
the  Government  funds  on  deposit  in  the  banks,  among  the  vStatcs. 
These  two  acts  of  the  Executive  and  Congress,  during  the  last 
administration,  precipitated  a  financial  panic  and  unparalleled 
embarrassments  were  experienced  in  monetary  circles.  The 
whole  business  of  the  country  was  prostrated.  In  a  short  time 
the  banks  of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston,  and  many  other 
cities  suspended  specie  peayments.  A  special  session  of  Coni^ress 
was  called,  which  continued  in  session  over  forty  days,  but  as  the 
majority  were  opposed  to  the  policy  of  the  President,  the  nieas- 


PRESIDENTS  —  VAN  ni'REN. 


59 


urcs  proposed  by  the  administration  were  defeated.  Many  of  the 
States  issned  vState  bonds  in  order  to  secnre  loans  for  internal  im- 
provements and  eij^ht  of  the  vStates  failed  to  pay  the  interest  on 
these  loans.  Thej^  all  rallied  in  time  and  paid  their  obligations 
except  two — Mississippi  and  the  territory  of  Florida.  These 
stocks  were  mainly  held  by  English  capitalists  and  great  indig- 
nation was  felt  thronghont  Enrope  at  the  failnre  of  the  vStates  to 
pay  their  obligation. 

In  1840  Mr.  Van  Bnren  was  again  the  nominee  of  his 
part}'  for  the  office  of  President,  bnt  was  defeated  by  General 
Harrison.  ,  , 

In  appearance  Mr.  Van  Bnren  was  of  abont  medinm  size, 

with  an    erect  form,  light   hair   and  eyes,    and   a  broad,    high 

forehead. 

At  the  close  of  his  administration,  Mr.  Van  Bnren  retired 

to  his  home  at  Kinderhook,  where  he  resided  at  his  death,  which 

occurred  in  Jnly,  1862. 


■HI 


Williarr?  nenpv  RaPPison. 


■— Li?- 


^  N  the  little  town  of  Berkeley,  Charles  City  County, 
Virginia,  William  Henry  Harrison  was  born,  on  the 
ninth  clay  of  Febrnary,  1773.  His  aneestry  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  the  *'Okl  Dominion,"  ;uk1 
their  name  has  always  bet  the  synonym  for  integ- 
rity, honesty  and  patriotism.  His  father,  Benjiuuiu 
Harrison,  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress  dnring  the  years  1774-5-6,  and  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He 
was  elected  Governor  of  \'irginia  in  1782,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  efficient  officers  that  ever  occupied  that  responsible  position. 
Young  Harrison  graduated  from  Hampton  Sidney  College, 
and  began  the  study  of  medicine;  but  the  atrocities  of  the  In- 
dians upon  the  western  frontiers  so  stirred  the  spirit  within  liini, 
that  he  resolved  on  joining  the  army.  He  communicated  his 
desire  to  General  Washington  and  received  from  him  an  Ensign's 
commission  in  the  First  regiment  of  United  States  Artillery. 
He  joined  his  regiment  at  Fort  Washington,  on  the  Ohio  Ri^'er, 
near  the  present  site  of  Cincinnati,  in  1791.  In  the  following 
year  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant,  and  participated 
in  the  battle  of  the  ''Fallen  Timbers,"  where  his  gallant  and 
faithful  services  won  for  him  the  hearty  commendation  c^f  (kii- 
eral  W^ayne.  Harrison,  at  this  time  little  more  than  a  b(>\ ,  was 
slender  in  build  and  almost  effisminate  in  appearance.  Que  of  his 
old  soldiers  in  speaking  of  him,  said:  "I  would  as  soon  have 
thought  of  putting  my  wife  in  the  service  as  this  boy;  ''nt  I 


I'ri'suliiits. 


60 


PRKSIOKNTS —  HARRISON. 


6l 


have  been  out  with  him,  imd  I  find  those  smooth  cheeks  are  on 
a  wise  head,  and  that  slight  frame  is  almost  as  tough  as  my  own 
weather-beaten  carcass." 

When  this  campaign  came  to  a  close  Lieutenant  Harrison 
was  proUKited  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  and  assigned  to  the  coni- 
iiiatid  of  Fort  Wasliington.  While  stationed  at  this  fort  he  was 
married  to  the  daughter  of  John  Cleves  Symnies,  who  founded 
the  Miami  settlements.  In  179S  Captain  Harrison  was  ap- 
pointed Secretary  of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  to  succeed 
Wiuthrop  Sargent,  and  the  following  year  was  chosen  its  first 
Congressional  delegate.  When  Mr.  Harrison  entered  Congress 
the  jMiblic  lands  of  the  United  States  could  not  be  purcha.sed  in 
less  amount  than  four  thousand  acres;  this  made  it  impossible 
for  men  of  small  means  to  acquire  a  free-hold,  and  capitalists 
and  land-agents  secured  large  tracts  of  land  and  compelled  the 
poor  man  to  pay  enormous  rentals,  or  nnich  more  than  their 
value  if  divided  into  smaller  parcels.  Mr.  Harrison  succeeded 
in  amending  this  obnoxious  law,  although  he  was  strenuously 
opposed  b}'  the  speculators. 

About  this  time  the  Northwestern  Territory  was  divided, 
Ohio  being  set  off  by  itself,  and  the  remaining  territor}',  com- 
prising all  the  country  beyond  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers, 
received  the  name  of  Indiana,  over  which  Mr.  Harrison  was  ap- 
pointed Governor.  He  was  also  Indian  Commissioner  at  this 
time  and  secured  for  the  government  millions  of  acres  of  the 
richest  country  in  the  We  t  by  treaty  with  the  Aborigines.  In 
iSio  the  Indian  tribes,  who  had  from  time  to  time  ceded  their 
lands  to  the  settlers  and  moved  westward,  became  jealous  and 
rebellious;  their  hunting  grounds  Avere  broken  up,  and  the  white 
man  continually  advanced  upon  their  settlements.  Under  the 
leadership  of  the  celebrated  Shawnee  chief,  Tecumseh,  and  his 
twin  brother,  Elskwatawa,  the  Prophet,  the  Indians  became  more 
and  more  aggressive  until  hostilities  were  commenced  at  a  town 
at  the  junction  of  the  Wabash  and  Tippecanoe  rivers,  where  the 
prophet  had  established  him.self.     Governor  Harrison  had  become 


■•■MMaiMMi 


62 


Till-;    WIIITI'.   CITY — I'Kl'.SIUHNTS. 


fearful  that  the  IiuHans  would  hcj^iu  a  war,  and  niarclu-d  liis 
troops  to  this  place  to  try  and  prevent  bloodshed  if  possible. 
About  four  o'clock  on  the  niorninjf  of  the  fourth  of  November. 
181 1,  the  Indians  bcji^an  the  attack,  but  by  the  excellent  j^eut nil- 
ship  and  undaunted  courajj^e  of  Harrison  they  were  repelled  and 
the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  was  won.  The  Indians  now  joined  tin- 
British  forces  in  what  is  known  as  the  war  of  181 2.  In  1S13 
Governor  Harrison  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  that  por- 
tion of  the  army  at  the  head  of  Lake  Krie,  with  the  conunissiou 
of  Major-General.  His  distinjj^uished  services  in  this  war  won 
for  him  hearty  recoj^nition  from  the  people,  with  whom  he  was  :i 
great  favorite,  and  Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal  for  ''gallant 
and  good  .services." 

In  1816  General  Harrison  was  elected  to  the  Natitmal  IIou.sc 
of  Representatives,  and  re-elected  for  the  following  term.  In 
1819  he  was  chosen  to  the  Ohio  State  Senate  and  in  1S24  was 
sent  by  that  State  to  the  United  States  Senate.  In  1828  he  was 
appointed  United  States  Minister  to  the  Republic  of  Columbia, 
from  which  he  was  recalled  by  President  Jackson. 

General  Harrison  received  the  nomination  for  President  of 
the  United  States,  by  the  Whig  party,  in  1840.  The  campais^n 
was  one  of  the  most  spirited  the  Republic  has  ever  known. 
There  were  public  meetings  and  processions  and  barbecues,  in 
which  log  cabins,  coons  and  hard  cider  figured  conspicuously, 
and  in  which  the  crj^  "Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too"  became  hou.se- 
hold  words.  It  resulted  in  the  election  of  Harrison,  and  he  was 
inaugurated  on  the  fourth  of  March,  1841,  with  great  enthusi- 
asm. In  his  cabinet  were  such  well-known  men  as  Daniel  Web- 
ster, Thomas  Ewing,  John  Bell  and  John  J.  Crittenden,  and 
nnich  was  expected  of  this  administration. 

But  death  stood  at  the  nation's  door  and,  in  one  month  after 
his  inauguration,  President  Harrison  passed  beyond  the  vale 
into  the  great  bej-ond.  His  death  occurred  on  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  March,  1841.  He  was  the  first  President  to  dit  in 
office  and  was  sincerely  mourned  by  the  whole  people. 


John  Tvlcp. 


OHX  TYLER,  tlic  ttiUli  President  of  the  United 
.  State,  was  born  in  Charles  City  Connty,  \'irginia, 
March  29,  1S90,  The  ''Old  Dominion  "  had  already 
}^iven  the  Repnhlic  five  Chief  Magistrates,  viz.: 
Washington,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Monroe,  and  Har- 
rison, and  was  well  entitled  to  the  aj^pellation  she 
had  received  as  the  ''Mother  of  Presidents;''  hnt 
V-  she    now    adds    a    sixth    to    the     illnstrions    list, 

proving  that  she  still  had  more  "such  seed  within  her  breast." 

The  ancestors  of  John  Tyler  were  among  the  early  Ivnglish 
settlers  of  Virginia;  his  grandfather,  John  Tyler,  was  marshal 
of  the  colon}'  luuler  the  English  government ;  and  his  father, 
also  named  John,  was  a  distinguished  jiatriot,  occupying  the  im- 
portant offices  of  Governor,  and  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Unlike  many  of  his  illustrious  successors  in  office,  Mr.  Ty- 
ler was  the  sou  of  M-ealthy  parents,  and  every  adxantage  which 
wealth  could  procure  was  his.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  grad- 
uated from  William  and  Mary  College,  and,  two  years  later,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  the  practice  of  law.  His  success 
as  a  lawyer  was  phenomenal,  for  one  so  young,  and,  when  only 
twenty-one,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature,  re- 
taining his  seat  for  six  consecutive  years.  There  are  few  men 
whose  political  advancement  has  been  so  rapid  and  so  constant  as 
was  that  of  Mr.  Tyler.  In  18 16  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
Congress,  re-elected  in  181S,  and  again  in  1820.  In  1825  he  was 
chosen  Governor  of  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  re-elected  in  1826. 


l'ri>iil<'iils. 


n 


mmmmm 


TiTwiifi  iKirrrmnnMniiii 


64 


THE   WHITE    CITY  —  PRESIDENTS. 


In  1827  w^  fi^^^  him  a  Senator  of  the  United  States.  In  1840  he 
was  chosen  Vice-President,  and,  in  one  month  after  his  inaugu- 
ration, succeeded  to  the  Presidency,  through  the  untimely  death 
of  President  William  Henry  Harrison. 

President  Tyler  was  not  long  in  finding  himself  in  stidiig 
opposition  to  the  Whig  party,  which  elected  him.  This  rupture 
was  caused  by  the  President's  veto  of  the  Bill  establishing  a 
United  States  Bank,  a  measure  to  which  the  Whigs  were  com- 
mitted, and  this  action  was  denounced  by  them  in  strong  tenus. 
The  entire  cabinet,  except  Mr.  Webster,  resigned,  in  September, 
1841,  declaring  that  all  confidence  between  the  President  and 
themselves  was  gone. 

Some  of  the  more  important  events  of  the  administratioi:  of 
\  President  Tyler  were  the  annexation  of  Iowa  and  Florida,  the 
*.  bills  for  which  he  signed  on  the  last  day  of  his  term  of  office ; 
the  completion  of  the  Bunker  Hill  monument;  the  establish- 
ment of  the  electric  telegraph,  and  the  banishment  of  the  Mor- 
mons from  the  territory  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

President  Tyler  retired  from  office  without  the  regret  of 
^'ther  political  party.  He  was  freely  accused  by  the  Wliigs  uot 
only  of  a  want  of  judgment,  but  of  a  want  of  good  faith. 

Personally  Mr.  Tyler  was  tall  and  slim,  with  a  light  com- 
plexion, blue  e3'es,  high  forehead,  and  a  prominent  nose.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Letitia  Christian,  in  181 3,  who  died  in  1842.  In 
1844  he  married  Miss  Julia  Gardner,  a  3'oung  and  beautiful  lady 
of  New  York. 

Mr.  Tyler  was  a  member  of  the  Confederate  C'-ugress,  and 
died  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  January  18,  1862. 


JanQcs  K.  PolK. 


N  the  earlier  history  of  the  Republic  men  were  se- 
lected for  the  Presidential  office  who  had  been  long 
and  prominently  connected  with  public  affairs,  and 
who  were  well  known,  by  reputation  at  least,  to  the 
great  body  politic.  But  there  came  a  time,  later  on, 
when  principles  and  policy  of  government  overshad- 
owed the  genius  of  the  man,  and  the  public  learned 
that  what  shall  be  done  is  of  more  consequence  than 
who  shall  do  it. 
The  nomination  of  James  K.  Polk  was  among  the  earlier 
selections  of  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  Chief  Executive  of  the 
United  States  who  represented  principles  of  goxcrnment  rather 
than  mere  personality.  Although  his  political  opponents  took 
delight  in  the  inquiry,  "Who  is  Polk?  "  still  the  election  proved 
that  the  people  were  awake  to  the  principles  of  good  govern- 
ment, and  that  his  party  could  rally  to  their  support,  even 
though  their  standard-bearer  might  be  comparatively  unknown. 
The  original  name  Polk  is  undoubtedly  a  contraction  of 
Pollock.  The  family  is  of  Scotch  origin,  but  the  ancestors  of 
that  branch  of  the  family  to  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
belongs,  were  residents  of  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  this  countr}', 
settling  first  in  Maryland,  about  1738.  Samuel  Polk,  father  of 
James  K.,  was  a  re^'dent  of  Mechlenburg  County,  North  Caro- 
iMia,  and  there  James  K.  Polk  was  born,  November  2,  1795.  His 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  James  Knox,  an  ofPcer  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  it  was  for  liim  that  5oung  Polk  was  named. 


66 


THE   WHITK   CITY  —  PRESIDENTS. 


The  boyhood  of  the  eleventh  President  of  the  United  States 
was  passed  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  assisted  in  its  nuuiage- 
ment  and  where  was  laid  the  foundation  of  that  industrious, 
honest  and  virtuous  life  which  characterized  his  niaturer  years. 
He  early  evinced  a  strong  desire  for  an  education  and  was  always 
an  earnest  student.  About  the  year  1S13  he  was  sent  to  an 
Academy  at  Murfreesboi-ough,  Tennessee,  and  in  the  fall  of  ].Si5 
entered  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  where  he  graduated, 
with  the  highest  honors,  in  1818,  delivering  the  Latin  Salutatory 
Oration.  In  1847  his  Alma  Alater  conferred  upon  him  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 

The  year  following  his  graduation  he  entered  the  law  oinL-e 
of  Felix  Grundy,  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  in  1820  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  While  a  law  student  in  Alr^  Grundy's  office, 
he  met  Andrew  Jackson,  whose  friendship  he  won  and  eve- 
after  retained. 

As  a  law3^er,  ]\Ir.  Polk  was  a  close  reusoner  and  a  brilliant 
speaker,  and  he  soon  stood  in  the  front  rank  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession. He  entered  public  life  as  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives of  Tennessee,  became  a  member  of  that  body  in 
1823  and  again  in  1824,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  its  most 
talented  and  promising  members. 

On  New  Year's  day,  1824,  ^^^-  Polk  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  Childress,  daughter  of  Joel  Childress,  a  prominent 
merchant  of  Rivherford  Count}',  Tennessee.  To  a  remarkable 
beauty  of  person,  Mrs.  Polk  united  the  charms  of  a  high  order 
of  intellectual  accomplishment  and  a  sweetness  of  disposition 
tha';  rendered  her  well  fitted  to  adorn  the  high  station  in  life'sbe 
was  called  upon  to  fill. 

In  182  s  Mr.  Polk  w'as  elected  a  lUcmber  of  the  lower  House 
of  Congress,  which  position  he  retained  for  fourteen  years,  the 
last  two  3-'ears  of  which  he  was  Speaker,  and  was  then  i.du  ted 
Governor  of  Tennessee  by  an  overwhelming  majority. 

In  1844  Mr.  Polk  was  elected  President  of  the  liiiled 
States.     The  most  important  event  of  his  administration  was 


PRESIDENTS — POLK. 


67 


the  annexation  of  Texas,  which  precipitated  the  Mexican  war. 
Other  incidents  of  national  significance  was  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California;  the  establislinient  of  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tute at  Washington ;  the  admission  of  Wisconsin  into  the  Union, 
and  the  organization  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  or,  as  it 
was  ;it  first  called,  the  Home  Department. 
His  deatli  occun-ed  June  15,  1849. 


^•^ 


Zachapv  ^avIoR 


'"T-^HE  assertion  has  been  made  that  modest}-,  thou,i;h 
coupled  with  real  merit,  always  fails  in  coni])eti- 
tion  with  audacity  ;  but  we  believe  that  the  real 
facts  prove  quite  the  contrary.  True,  modesty 
may,  for  a  season,  obscure  the  merit  of  a  iiuui, 
but  time,  the  great  revealer,  as  well  as  leveler, 
of  the  race,  will  shortly  discover  the  genuine  and 
unmask  the  counterfeit.  The  race  to-day  cast  the  crown  of  their 
highest  regard  before  those  truly  commendable  virtues — integrity 
and  intelligence;  it  was  for  these  estimable  characteristics  tliat 
Zachary  Taylor  became  the  chief  Executivf-  of  this  great 
Nation. 

Colonel  Richard  Taylor,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  a  descendant  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  ''Old  Dominion," 
whose  home  was  in  Orange  County,  Virginia;  it  was  here  that 
Zachary  was  born,  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  November,  17S4.  He 
inherited  from  his  father  a  sturd}'  and  courageous  disposition 
which  marked  his  career  from  childhood  to  the  grave.  When 
young  Taylor  was  a  mere  lad  the  family  moved  to  Kentucky  and 
settled  near  Louisville.  Kentucky  in  that  day  was  sparsely  popu- 
lated, and  the  advantages  for  securing  an  education  were  exceed- 
ingly limited.  At  an  early  age,  in  company  with  his  brotiier, 
Zachary  was  placed  under  the  care  of  a  private  tutor,  Mr.  ^'''  ''.-? 
Ayres.  of  Connecticut,  who  seems  to  have  been  pecun.u  r,'  uc'l 
iitttd  to  tmdertake  the  education  of  youth.  He  describe  m 
illustrious  pupil   as  a  boy  of  good    natural    abi'.ties,  sti  •      !s, 


k'rcsiiicii'.s. 


tW 


PRESI  DENTS  —  TAYLOR. 


69 


persevering,  and  of  an  ardent  temperament.  Even  from  child- 
liood  young  Taylor  looked  forward  to  the  army  as  the  arena  of 
his  future  labors.  When  only  eighteen,  his  father  secured  him 
a  commission  as  lieutenant  in  the  Seventh  regiment  of  United 
States  Infantry,  and  he  was  under  the  command  of  General 
Will^inson,  at  New  Orleans. 

In  1810  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Smith, 
of  Maryland,  a  most  worthy  and  beautiful  woman. 

Having  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  soon  after  his 
marriage,  in  181 2,  he  was  given  command  of  Fort  Harrison,  a 
militar}^  post  on  the  Wabash  River,  fifty  miles  beyond  the  fron- 
tier settlements ;  this  was  an  important  trust  for  a  young  man  of 
twenty-eight,  but  subsequent  events  proved  the  worth  of  the 
young  commander.  This  fort  was  nothing  but  a  rude  stockade 
which  had  been  hastily  built  by  General  Harrison,  in  181 1, 
while  on  his  march  to  Tippecanoe.  During  the  night  of  Septem- 
ber 3,  181 2,  this  fort  was  attacked  by  a  large  body  of  Indians, 
and  set  on  fire,  but  Captain  Taylor,  by  the  most  heroic  efforts,  de- 
fended it  and  drove  off  the  Indians,  with  the  loss  of  only  one 
man,  while  that  of  the  Indians  was  heavy.  For  his  valiant 
defense  of  Fort  Harrison,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brevet 
Major. 

From  this  time  until  the  Indian  war  in  Florida,  Major  Tay- 
lor continued  in  command  of  various  western  posts.  In  1832  he 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Colonel,  and  was  in  command  at  the 
terribL  battle  of  the  Wisconsin,  where  Black  Hawk  was  captured 
and  the  war  was  terminated. 

Colonel  Taylor  was  ordered  to  Florida  in  1S36,  where  the 
Seminole,  and  other  tribes  of  southern  Indians,  were  making  war 
on  the  United  States.  This  Indian  war  in  Florida  was  the  most 
tToublesome  and  protracted  of  any  of  the  Indian  wars  in  which 
the  government  has  been  engaged.  On  the  twenty-third  of  De- 
cember, 1837,  he  fought  the  famous  battle  of  Okachobee,  which 
practically  finished  this  war.  In  recognition  of  his  services  he 
was  j>ronioted  to  the  brevet  rank  of  Brigadier-General,  and  given 


70 


THK    WHITH   CITY  —  PRKSIDHNTS. 


the  command  of  the  Florida  forces,  a  position  he  retained  until 
1S40,  when  he  was  relieved,  at  his  own  request,  and  transferred  to 
the  command  of  the  army  in  the  States  of  Louisiana,  Missis- 
sippi, Alabama  and  Georgia.  The  ^Mexican  question,  having,  in 
1845,  reached  a  crisis.  General  Ta3-lor  was  ordered  to  march  into 
Texas  and  to  repel  any  invasion  which  might  be  made  upon  the 
territory  by  Mexican  forces.  He  established  headquarters  at 
Corpus  Christi,  but  early  in  1846  advanced  his  army,  which  now 
numbered  about  five  thousand,  to  the  Rio  Grande,  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  which  was  the  Mexican  Army  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Ampudia.  Then  followed  the  battles  of  Palo 
Alto,  and  Reseca  de  h;  1  aln.  ;,  in  whivh  General  Taylor  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  splendid  generalship  and  undaunted 
courage,  which  gave  the  victory,  in  the^je  remarkable  engage- 
ments, to  the  United  States  forces,  and  the  enemy  were  driven 
across  the  Rio  Grande. 

In  February,  1S47,  with  an  army  of  but  six  thousand  men, 
he  met  General  vSanta  Ana,  with  an  army  of  twenty  thousand, 
at  Buena  \'ista,  and,  after  a  terrific  struggle,  won  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  victories  in  the  hi'^tory  of  the  United  States.  This  was 
General  Ta^dor's  last  battle.  While  yet  in  the  field  he  was 
nominated  for  the  Presideuc}-,  and  was  elected  to  that  high  oflioe 
in  Novemlicr,  1848.  The  application  of  California  for  admission 
into  the  Union,  early  in  President  Taylor's  administration,  was 
the  origin  of  a  prolonged  and  bitter  controversy  in  Congress  on 
the  question  of  slavery.  At  this  time,  and  for  many  j-ears  pre- 
vious, the  slave-holding  and  uon-slave-holding  States,  possessed 
an  equal  representation  in  the  United  States  Senate.  If  Cali- 
fornia was  admitted  as  a  free  State,  it  was  claimed  by  the  Sontli, 
that  this  equilibrium  woiild  be  destroyed  and  the  rights  and 
interests  of  the  South  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  North.  The 
controversy  waxed  warm  and  furious,  the  debates  growing  more 
and  more  exciting,  until,  at  their  height,  the  illustrious  Henry 
Clay  introduced  his  famous  compromise  scheme,  which  was 
sneeringly  termed,  by  tho.se  who  oppo.sed  it, the  "Omnibus  Bill." 


PRESIDENTS  —  TAYLOR. 


71 


Seven  months  were  passed  in  discussing  the  slavery  question, 
and  it  was  during  this  time  that  President  Taylor's  death  took 
place,  on  the  ninth  of  July,  1S50.  His  last  words  were  :  "I  am 
ready  to  die.  I  have  always  done  my  duty;  ni}-  only  regret  is 
for  the  friends  I  leave  behind  me."  In  the  eulogy  pronounced 
in  the  House  by  Humphrey  Marshall,  appear  these  words: 

'* Great,  without  pride;  cautious,  without  fear;  brave,  with- 
out rashness;  stern,  without  harshness;  modest,  without  bash- 
fulness  ;  sagacious,  withoiit  cunning ;  benevolent,  without  osten- 
tation ;  sincere  and  honest  as  the  sun,  the  '  noble  old  Roman '  has 
at  last  laid  down  his  earthly  harness — his  task  is  done.  He  has 
fallen  as  falls  the  summer  tree  in  the  bloom  of  its  honors,  ere  the 
blight  f)f  autumn  has  seared  a  leaf  that  adorns  it." 


Millar?d   Fillmope. 


^==^HE  life  of  Millard  Fillmore,  the  thirteenth  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  is  one  filled  with  lessons 
of  profit  to  every  yonng  American ;  teaching,  as 
it  does,  the  power  of  resolution  and  energy  over 
opposing  circumstances.  His  ancestors,  for  four 
generations,  were  forest  pioneers,  whose  lives  of 
honesty  and  stnrdy  manhood  were  a  magnificent 
inheritance  for  their  descendants.  His  father, 
Nathaniel  Fillmore,  who  participated  in  the  battle  of  Bennington, 
early  in  life  removed  from  his  Vermont  home  to  Summer  Hill, 
Cayuga  County,  New  York,  where  Millard  was  born,  January  7, 
1800.  Young  Fillmore's  early  education  was  acquired  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and,  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
he  went  to  Livingston  County  to  learn  the  fuller's  trade.  A 
small  village  library  furnished  his  only  means  for  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  books,  and  the  young  man  improved  every  moment 
of  his  spare  time  in  reading  the  works  thus  placed  within  his 
reach.  Four  3'earswere  thus  passed.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Judge  Walter  Wood,  where  he  renmined 
two  years,  closely  applying  himself  to  his  studies,  and  teaching 
school  during  the  winter  to  assist  in  paying  his  expenses.  In 
the  fall  of  182 1  he  removed  to  Erie  County,  and,  in  the  spring 
of  1822,  entered  a  law  office  in  Buffalo,  where  he  remained  one 
year.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  opened  an  office  in  the  village  of 

HresidenU.  ^ 


PRESIDENT.S  —  FI LLMORE. 


73 


Aurora,  where  he  remained  until    1S30,  when  he   returned  to 
Buffalo,  w^hich  remained  his  home  until  his  death. 

While  residing  in  Aurora,  he  met  a  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Lemuel  Powers,  who  was  a  lady  of  rare  intelligence  and  moral 
worth.  A  tender  attachment  sprang  up  between  the  two  and 
the     vere  married  in  1S26. 

Mr.  Fillmore's  entry  into  public  life  was  made  in  January, 
1829,  when  he  entered  the  New  York  Legislature  as  a  Repre- 
sentative from  Erie  County.  He  soon  won  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  associates  and  was  re-elected  the  two  succeeding 
years.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1832  and  was  re-elected 
in  1836-38-40.  The  Twenty-seventh  Congress  was  a  memor- 
able one,  and  no  political  revolution  in  the  history  of  the  nation, 
from  its  birth  up  to  that  of  i860,  was  more  overwhelming  than 
that  <if  1S40.  The  minority,  with  which  party  Mr.  Fillmore  had 
allied  himself,  now  became  the  majority,  and  he  was  made  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means.  Mr.  Fillmore  was 
the  author  of  the  tariff  of  1842,  which  became  so  popular  that 
few,  even  of  his  political  opponents,  were  able  to  find  fault 
with  it. 

We  quote,  from  a  New  York  paper,  the  following  description 
of  Mr.  Fillmore,  at  this  time: 

"  Mr.  Fillmore,  in  person,  is  stout  and  finely  formed.  He 
has  an  erect  and  easy  walk,  a  well-developed  chest,  light  com- 
plexion, lively  blue  eyes,  a  smooth  forehead,  marked  by  breadth 
rather  than  height,  and  thin  grayish  hair.  His  face  is  broad 
and  regular  in  its  outlines;  he  has  a  small  nose,  a  handsome 
Grecian  mouth,  and  white  teeth.  In  or  out  of  Congress  there 
are  few  better-looking  men.  His  appearance  would  attract  atten- 
tion anj'where,  and  his  abilities  qualify  him  for  any  station." 

In  1847  ^^^-  Fillmore  was  chosen  to  the  important  office  of 
Comptroller  of  the  State  of  New^  York,  a  position  which  he  was 
abundantly  qualified  to  fill  by  reason  of  his  connection  with  the 
fniancial  affairs  of  the  nation  during  his  service  in  Congress. 
While  filling  this  office,  he  Avas  nominated  by  the  Whig  National 


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74 


THI-:    WHITI':    .ITV 


•PKI'.SIDHNTS. 


Convention  as  a  candidate  for  the  Vice-Presidency,  and,  in  the 
followinjj;  November  was  elected,  Zacliary  Taylor  being  at  the 
head  of  the  ticket. 

President  Taylor  s  c'eath  occnrred  on  the  ninth  of  July. 
1850,  and  Mr.  Fillnu^re  succeeded  to  the  office  of  President. 
The  administration  of  President  Fillmore  demanded  great  wis- 
dom and  calm  judgment.  The  North  was  agitating  the  anti- 
slavery  question,  and  the  South  threatened  secession.  California 
was  impatient  to  be  admitted  into  the  Union,  and  war  was  im- 
minent between  Texas  and  New  ^Mexico.  President  Fillmore 
urged  upon  Congress  the  necessity  for  immediate  action  regard- 
ing these  important  issues,  and  renewed  efforts  were  made  to 
settle  these  vexing  questions.  California  was  admitted  into  the 
Union;  the  boundary  line  of  Texas  and  New  Mexico  was  estab- 
lished; the  slave  trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia  was  abolished, 
and  Congress  passed  an  act  making  more  effectual  provisions  for 
the  apprehension  of  fugitive  slaves.  All  these,  except  the  la.st, 
received  the  President's  approval.  Concerning  this  latter,  he 
asked  the  opinion  of  the  Attorney-General  whether  it  would  not 
conflict  with  the  Constitution  relating  to  the  writ  of  habeas  cor- 
pus; the  Attorne^'-General  rendered  an  opioion  that  it  would  not, 
and  President  Fillmore  signed  the  bill.  The  signing  of  this  bill 
precipitated  the  hostility  of  the  anti-slavery  party  of  the  North, 
and  all  the  attacks  upon  the  character  of  President  Fillmore  date 
from  this  time  forward. 

Among  the  more  important  events  which  occurred  during 
Mr.  Fillmore's  administration,  ma}'  be  mentioned  the  .serious 
trouble  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  regarding 
tlie  coast  fisheries  off  the  Banks  of  New  Foundlaud,  which, 
however,  was  settled  by  England  conceding  the  rights  chuuied 
by  the  United  States;  the  completion  of  the  New  York  and 
Erie  Railroad;  the  laj-ing  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  enlarge- 
ment to  the  new  Capitol  building,  and  the  Cuban  expedition. 

During  this  administration,  begun  by  President  Taylor  and 
completed   by  President  Filluiore,   a  number  of  distinguished 


TRFSinKNTS  —  FILI  MORE. 


75 


men  passed  away,  among  whom  may  he  named  John  C.  Calhoun, 
Henry  Clay  and  Daniel  Webster. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  Mr.  Fillmore  retired 
to  his  home  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  where,  March  8,  1874,  he 
passed  out  into  "  that  undiscovered  country,  from  whose  bourn 
no  traveller  e'er  returns." 


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.HE  fourteenth  President  of  the  United  States, 
Franklin  Pierce,  was  the  son  of  Gen.  Benjamin 
Pierce,  a  distingnished  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  snbsequently  Governor  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. Franklin,  the  sixth  of  a  family  of 
eight  children,  was  born  at  Hillsborough,  New 
Hampshire,  November  23,  1804.  He  attended  school  at 
Hancock  Academy,  and  prepared  for  college  at  Francetowii ; 
entered  Bowdoin  College  in  1820,  when  only  sixteen  years  old, 
and  graduated  in  1824.  His  warm,  personal  friend,  Nathaniel 
Hawthorne,  writes  of  him:  "At  this  early  period  of  his  life,  he 
was  distinguished  b}/  the  same  fascination  of  manner  that  has 
since  proved  so  magical  in  winning  him  an  unbounded  pcrscmal 
popularity.  It  is  wronging  him,  however,  to  call  this  peculiarity 
a  mere  effect  of  manner;  its  source  lies  deep  in  the  kindliness 
of  his  nature,  and  in  the  liberal,  generous,  catholic  S3-nipathy 
that  embraces  all  who  are  worthy  of  it.  Few  men  possess  anj'- 
thing  HI'  e  it." 

Young  Pierce  oegan  the  stndy  of  law  ni  the  office  of  Judge 
Woodbur3%  at  Portsmouth,  spending  the  last  two  years  of  law- 
study  at  the  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  law  school,  and  in  the 
office  of  Judge  Parker,  at  Amherst.  In  1827  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Hillsborough, 
his  native  town.  Although  his  early  practi-^e  was  far  from  being 
successful,  still  the  young  man  persistently  pushed  forward,  de- 
termined to  win.      In  1829,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  Mr.  Pierce 


Pri'sidi'iits. 


PRESIDENTS  —  PIERCE. 


n 


■d  States, 
Benjamin 
:  Revolu- 
;\v  Hanip- 
faniily    of 
lUgh,  New 
1  school  at 
aiicctown ; 
years  old, 
Nathaniel 
ins  life,  he 
that  has 
personal 
peculiarity 
kindliness 
sympathy 
issess  any- 

j  of  Judge 
ars  of  law 
and  in  the 
Klmitted  to 
Isborongh, 
from  being 
rward,  de- 
]\Ir.  Pierce 


was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  State  Legislature.  He 
served  in  this  body  four  years,  the  last  two  of  which  he  was 
speaker  of  the  House.  At  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  was  elected 
to  Congress,  where  he  served  faithfully  for  years,  at  the  end  of 
wliich  time  he  entered  the  senate  of  the  United  State.'^,  its 
youngest  member.  Here  he  found  himself  in  the  company  cf 
those  eminent  statesmen,  John  C.  Calhoun,  Daniel  Webster, 
Henry  Clay,  Silas  Wright,  James  Buchanan,  and  many  others, 
whose  names  are  written  on  the  scroll  of  famous  Americans.  In 
1842  Mr.  Pierce  retired  from  the  United  States  Senate  and  re- 
sumed his  law  practice  at  Concord,  the  capital  city  of  his  native 
State.  Notwithstanding  his  early  failures  in  the  legal  profession, 
he  now  rapidly  acquired  fame  and  distinction  and  soon  was  the 
leading  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  1)ar. 

Mr.  Pierce  was  married,  in  1834,  to  Miss  Jane,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Appleton,  ex-president  of  Bowdoin  College,  and 
three  children,  all  sons,  were  the  fruit  of  thin  union. 

In  1846  iJr.  Pierce  declined  the  offer  of  the  United  States 
Senatorship,  also  the  position  of  Attorney-General  of  the  United 
States  which  was  tendered  him  by  President  Polk.  He  also  de- 
clined the  nomination  of  the  Democratic  State  Convention  for 
Governor.  Mr.  Pierce  seemed  unwilling  to  receive  public  politi- 
cal honors,  but  when  the  Mexican  war  broke  out,  in  1846,  he 
was  the  first  volunteer  in  Concord  and  raised  a  company  of  men 
for  his  country's  service.  He  was  early  commissioned  Colonel  of 
the  Ninth  Regiment  and  in  March,  1847,  was  made  Brigadier- 
Gericral.  He  rendered  liis  country  most  efficient  service  and,  at 
the  close  of  the  war,  returned  to  Concord  and  resumed  his  law  prac- 
tice. In  1850  General  Pierce  was  made  president  of  a  convention 
called  to  revise  the  Constitution  of  the  State,  in  the  deliberations 
of  which  he  exercised  great  influence. 

At  the  National  Democratic  Convention  held  in  Baltimore, 
in  June,  1852,  General  Pierce,  though  not  a  candidate,  received 
an  almost  unanimous  nomination  to  the  office  of  President  of  the 
Tnited  States,  and  defeated  General  Winfield  Scott,  nominee  of 


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II 

1 

78 


THE   WHITE   CITY  —  PRESIBEXTS. 


the  Wliig  party,  by  an  unprecedented  majority.  On  the  fourth  of 
March,  1853,  he  was  inaugurated  fourteenth  President  of  this 
Republic. 

Among  the  important  events  which  occurred  during  the  ;id- 
ministration  of  President  Pierce  was  the  beginning  of  the  Pacific 
Railroad ;  the  settlement  of  the  disputed  boundar}-  between  New 
Mexico  and  Chahuahua,  and  the  commercial  treat}  with  Japan. 
In  January,  1854,  Senator  Stephen  A.  Douglas  introduced  his 
famous  Kansas-Nebraskti  Bill,  which  proposed  the  organization 
of  these  two  territories,  and  contained  a  provision  that  the  new- 
States,  which  should  be  formed  from  them,  should  decide  for 
themselves  whether  they  should  be  slaveholding  or  not.  As 
both  these  Territories  were  north,  of  the  parallel  of  thirty-six  de- 
grees and  thirty  minutes,  the  passage  of  this  bill  practically 
repealed  the  Missouri  Compromise,  by  virtue  of  which  the  old 
slavery  question  had  been  settled. 

For  nearly  four  months  this  bill  was  the  subject  of  the 
most  impassioned  debate  in  Congress,  but  on  March  3,  1854,  the 
bill  passed  the  Senate,  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  the  following 
May  it  passed  the  House,  and  on  the  thirtieth  of  May  it 
received  the  signature  of  President  Pierce  and  thus  became 
the  law.  The  result  of  this  legislation  was  the  destruction 
of  the  Whig  party;  the  division  of  the  Democrat  party  into 
sectious,  North  and  South;  and  the  formation  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  with  anti-slaver}'^  as  the  principal  plank  of  its  plat- 
form. Kansas,  after  an  exciting  struggle,  was  carried  by  the 
pt  -s>avery  party  and  this  was  followed  by  a  civil  strife  wliicli 
continued  for  nearl}'  a  year.  Finally  peace  was  restored  in  Kan- 
sas, but  the  agitation  of  the  slavery  question  had  become  a 
national  issue  and  continued  to  be  the  central  subject  of  discus- 
sion, throughout  the  administration  of  President  Buchanan,  and 
until  its  culmination  in  civil  war,  in  1861. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  Mr.  Pierce  returned 
to  his  home  at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  where  he  answered 
the  summons  of  the  death  angel,  October  8,  1869. 


JarrjGS  Buchanan. 


"  AMES  BUCHANAN  was  born  in  a  wild,  romantic 
valley,  surrounded  by  the  towering  peaks  of  the 
T  Alleghany  Mountains,  in  the  town  of  Stony  Batter, 
Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania;  he  used  to  say: 
"I  lacked  but  a  broad  limestone  valley  of  being 
born  in  Maryland."  The  date  of  his  birth  was  April 
23,  1791.  His  father  was  a  native  of  County  Don- 
egal, Ireland,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1783, 
where  he  married  an  estimable  Pennsylvania  girl,  and  the  young- 
couple  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  section  where  their 
son  James  was  born. 

The  family  removed  to  Mercersburg  in  1798,  where  James 
was  sent  to  school,  and  proved  a  bright  and  industrious  student. 
At  the  early  age  of  fourteen  he  entered  Dickson  College,  at 
Carlisle,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  at  the 
age  of  eighteen.  He  soon  began  the  study  of  law,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1812;  rising  rapidly  in  his  profession,  he 
soon  became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  of  the  State, 
and  his  name  appears  more  frequently  in  the  Pennsylvania  Re- 
ports than  that  of  any  other  lawyer  of  his  day. 

In  October,  1814,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  lower 
House  of  the  Legislature  of  his  native  State,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1815.  When  only  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  in  1820,  he  was 
elected  to  the  House  of  Representatives,  where  he  soon  acquired 
prominence  as  an  impressive  speaker  and  a  clear  and  vigorous 
reasoner.     He  remained  a  member  of  Congress  for  ten  consecu- 


I'r.  ^Ulonts. 


7» 


8o 


THK    WHITK    CITY — rRIlSIDHNTS. 


tive  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  was  charged  hy 
President  Jackson  with  the  dnty  of  negotiating  a  commercial 
treaty  with  Rnssia;  he  was  snccessfnl  in  his  efforts  and  rctuniid 
to  the  United  States  in  1833.  The  following  year  he  was 
chosen,  by  the  Legislatnre  of  Pennsylvania,  United  States  Sena- 
tor. Perhaps  the  most  important  snbject  which  came  before  tliu 
Senate  at  this  time  v,as  the  slavery  qnestion.  While  Mr. 
Buchanan  was  heartily  opposed  to  slavery  in  the  abstract,  lie 
strongly  defended  the  Southern  States  in  the  rights  which  the 
Constitution  accorded  them. 

In  1845  he  resigned  the  Senatorship  of  Pennsylvania,  which 
position  he  had  held  for  tei:  years,  and  accepted  the  office  of  Sec- 
retary of  State  in  the  cabinet  of  President  Polk.  From  1853  to 
1856,  under  the  administration  of  President  Pierce,  Mr.  Buch- 
anan ably  represented  the  United  States  at  the  Court  of  St. 
James.  Soon  after  his  return  from  England  he  was  nominated 
by  the  National  Democratic  Convention  as  their  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  In  this  election  the  Republican  party  entered  the 
field  for  the  first  time,  with  any  apparent  show  of  success, 
with  Gen.  John  C.  Fremont  as  its  candidate.  The  issue  between 
these  two  political  parties  was  the  question  of  Slavery  in  the 
Territories.  The  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Mr.  Bnch- 
anan,  which  was  accomplished  by  the  votes  of  California,  Ind- 
iana, Illinois,  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  united  with  those  of 
the  slave-holding  States. 

Beside  the  vexa':ious  questions  connected  with  the  extension 
of  slaver}',  was  the  disturbed  relations  with  Great  Britain.  The 
British  had  flagrantly  violated  the  conditions  of  the  Monroe 
Doctrine,  and  had  not  relinquished  the  right  of  search,  which 
hrd  caused  the  war  of  181 2.  President  Buchanan  resolved  to 
deal  peremptorilj'  with  this  matter,  and  England  awoke  to  the 
truth  that  the  United  States  was  not  to  be  trifled  with.  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  two  governments  met  and  the  demands  ot  this 
Nation  were  accorded  her. 

The  laying  of  the  first  Atlantic  Cable,  and  the  quelling  of 


PRF.SIDF.XTS — I'.rCMAXAN. 


8i 


the  Mormon  rebellion  -.verc  amonjj^  the  chief  events,  not  con- 
riccted  with  the  Slavery  qnestion,  which  distinguished  the  ad- 
ministration of  President  Buchanan. 

In  1859  occurred  John  Brown's  famous  raid  at  Harper's 
Ferry.  This  was  the  climax  of  the  Kansas  warfare,  the  Dred- 
Scott  Decision,  and  the  suspected  plot  of  insurrection  among  the 
.slaves,  and  while  its  success  was  an  impossibility  from  the  start, 
still  its  influence  was  important.  The  closing  year  of  President 
Buchanan's  administration  was  one  of  intense  political  excite- 
ment. The  breach  between  the  North  and  the  South  was  con- 
stantly widening,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  countr}'  was  fast 
approaching  a  critical  period  in  its  history.  The  question  of 
slavery  divided  the  Democratic  party  and  the  work  of  secession 
began  in  South  Carolina  in  December,  i860,  after  the  election  of 
Lincoln,  and  spread  so  rapidly  that  by  the  first  of  Februar}', 
1861,  the  States  of  Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia,  Louisiana,  Miss- 
issippi and  Texas  had  all  passed  resolutions  of  secession  and  de- 
clared themselves  out  of  the  Union.  A  convention  of  these 
States,  held  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  Februar}-  4,  1861,  formed 
the  Confederate  States  of  America,  and  selected  Jefferson  Davis, 
of  IMississippi,  as  President,  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  of 
G:'orgia,  as  Mce-PresMent.  Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs 
when  Mr.  Buchanan  retired  from  the  office  of  President. 

After  the  inauguration  of  his  successor,  Mr.  Buchanan  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Wheatland,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died 
jime  I,  1868. 


Pbpaham  Uincoln. 


F--^HE  life  of  this  great  and  good  man  is  a  true  type 
of  American  manhood.  Born  in  obscurity,  start- 
ing life  with  nothing,  but  utilizing  everj'  oppor- 
tunity within  his  reach,  he  honestly  earned  the 
right  to  live  forever  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen.  In  a  rough  log  cabin  on  the  l)anks 
of  Nolin  Creek,  in  Larue  County,  Kentucky,  on 
the  twelfth  of  February,  1808,  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  born.  His  father,  Thomas  Lincoln,  born  and  reared  in  the 
wilds  of  Kentucky,  where,  at  that  early  period,  there  were  no 
schools,  was  an  uneducated  but  strictly  honest  man,  who  was  not 
able  even  to  read  when  he  was  married.  His  mother,  Nancy 
Lincoln,  nee  Hanks,  was  a  loving,  gentle  woman,  almost  wor- 
shipped by  her  children.  Speaking  of  his  early  life,  on  an 
occasion  when  fame  and  success  had  laid  their  crowns  at  his  feet, 
Mr.  Lincoln  said,  while  tears  filled  his  eyes:  "All  that  I  am,  or 
hope  to  be,  I  owe  to  my  angel  mother;  blessings  on  her 
memory." 

In  1 81 6  the  family  removed  to  Indiana  and  settled  in  the 
forest,  about  eighteen  miles  from  Thompson's  Ferr}'.  A  rude 
cabin,  one  side  open  to  the  elements,  except  as  it  was  sheltered 
by  the  hides  of  the  animals  that  were  killed  for  food,  constituted 
their  home  during  the  first  winter.  Thorns  took  the  place  of 
pins  ;  bits  of  bone,  covered  with  cloth,  were  their  buttons;  wliile 
burned  rye  bread  served  as  coffee,  and  dried  herb  leaves  as  tea. 
Stricken  down  by  hard  work,  exposure  and  anxiety,  the  mother 


F'rosideiits. 


83 


PRESIDENTS — UNCOLN. 


83 


(liLtl  before  the  first  year  of  their  life  in  Indiana  came  to  a  close. 
This  was  a  sad  daj-  for  the  father  and  children ;  they  were  there 
ulone  with  their  dead.  With  bitter  anjjjnish  they  buried  her 
away  out  of  sight,  without  even  the  consolation  of  a  fvneral  ser- 
vice, for  there  was  no  one  there  who  could  conduct  such  a 
ceremony. 

Young  Lincoln  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  superficial  knowl- 
edj^e  of  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic,  but  it  may  be  confidently 
affirmed  that  his  entire  school  education  did  not  exceed  one  year. 
In  1S30  the  family  moved  to  Illinois  and  settled  near  De- 
catur, on  the  banks  of  the  Sangamon  River.  Lincoln  was  now 
twenty-one  years  of  age  and  felt  that  it  was  time  for  him  to  shift 
for  himself.  He  engaged  with  a  party  to  take  a  ^^at-boat,  loaded 
with  produce,  to  New  Orleans,  and  succeeded  so  well  with  his 
cargo,  that  his  employer  entrusted  him  with  the  care  of  a  store  at 
New  Salem,  Illinois.  It  was  while  in  this  store  that  he  began 
the  study  of  English  grammar,  and  it  was  also  at  this  place  that 
he  acquired  the  soubriquet^  which  ever  thereafter  clung  to  him, 
of  "Honest  Abe." 

Mr.  Lincoln  raised  a  company  of  men,  of  wliich  he  was 
Captain,  and  assisted  in  suppressing  the  Black  Hawk  insurrec- 
tion, after  Mhich,  returning  to  New  Salem,  he  began  the  study 
of  law,  borrowing  books  wherever  possible  for  that  purpose.  In 
1835  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  his  home  and,  as  the  saying 
ran,  "carried  the  post-office  in  his  hat." 

A  friend,  who  knew  him  well,  said  of  him  at  this  time: 
"Lincoln  has  nothing,  only  plenty  of  friends."  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  religious  convictions,  who  had  an  abiding  faith  iu 
Divine  Providence  and  sincerel}'  believed  he  was  imder  the 
guidance  of  a  Supreme  Being.  He  always  meant  just  what  he 
said,  and  was  just  what  he  appeared  to  be.  He  Mas  without  vices 
and  passions  and  was  as  modest  as  he  was  honest. 

In  1834  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature 
and  here  first  met  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  against  whom  he  was 
frequently  pitted  in  political  contests,  culminating  in  the  race  for 


84 


TIIK    WIHTH   CITY — I'RESIDKNTS 


the  Presidency  in  iS6o.  The  shivery  question  was  at  this  time 
just  he^^inning  to  bo  ajj^itatcd,  and  Mr.  Lincoln's  anti-sla\ en- 
record  bej^ins  -with  this  session  of  the  Lcgishiture  where  ho 
caused  his  protest  against  an  extreme  pro-shivery  resolution  to 
be  recorded  in  the  journal  of  the  House. 

In  1836  Mr.  Lincoln  was  admitted  t;)  the  l):ir  and  in  ilic 
autumn  of  that  year  went  to  vSpringfield,  and  opened  a  law  office. 
Concerning  this  venture,  a  friend  w.ites:  '*  He  rode  into  town 
on  a  borrowed  horse,  all  his  earthly  possessions  packed  ia  a  pair 
of  saddle-bags  fastened  to  the  crupper  of  his  saddle.  He  wanted 
to  hire  a  room  and  furnish  it  with  the  barest  necessities,  but  found 
that  the  aggregate  cost  of  these  was  seventeen  dollars.  To  tlic 
storekeeper  Mr.  Lincoln  said  sadly,  'It  is  cheap  enoujjh,  hut, 
cheap  as  it  is,  I  have  not  the  money  to  pay  for  it.  If  you  will 
give  me  credit  until  Christmas,  and  ni}'  experiment  here  is  a 
success,  I  will  pay  }-ou  then  ;  if  1  fail,  I  shall  probabl}-  never  he 
able  to  pay  you.'"  His  request  was  granted,  and  in  April,  1.S37, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Maj.  John  T.  Stuart  .\hich  cuu- 
tinued  four  3'ears.  In  1S43  he  became  associated  with  Williaui 
H.  Herndon,  and  the  co-partnership  ended  onl}'-  with  the  death  of 
Lincoln,  in  1865. 

As  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Lincoln  soon  won  distinction  and  was  re- 
tained in  nearly  ever}'  important  case  in  his  circuit,  but  lie 
was  so  thoroughly  conscientious  that  he  positivcl}'  refused  to 
take  any  case  unless  convinced  that  his  client  was  in  the  ri,s;lit, 
and  once,  when  he  learned  that,  in  a  case  which  he.  had  won,  his 
client  was  in  the  wrong,  he  refused  to  accept  a  fee  for  liis 
sei'vices. 

In  1838  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Legislature.  During  a  de- 
bate, in  which  some  of  the  most  noted  men  of  the  time  were  '  u- 
gaged,  one  of  his  opponents  sneeringl}'  referred  to  the  few  who 
supported  the  other  side,  and  the  hopelessness  of  the  cause  they 
were  defending.  Mr.  Lincoln  said,  in  repl}':  "Address  that 
argument  to  cowards  and  knaves.  It  may  be  true,  if  it  must, 
let  it.    ]\Iany  free  countries  have  lost  their  liberty,  and  ours  may 


rRKSIDKNTS — MN'COI.N. 


85 


lose  liers.     liUt  if  she  shall,  let  it  be  my  proudest  plume,  uot 
thai  I  was  the  last  to  desert  her,  but  that  I  never  deserted  her." 

Mr.  Lineolu  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Todd,  dauj;hter  of 
lion.  Robert  S.  Todd,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in  i<S42,  and 
they  took  lodji^iujjfs  at  the  Globe  Tavern,  a  modest  boarding- 
house  near  the  vState  House. 

In  1846  Lincoln  was  elected  a  Member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  and  took  his  seat  December  6,  1S47,  the  only 
Wlii,:^  member  from  Illinois.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
office  he  came  back  to  h.is  home  in  Illinois  and  did  not  return 
ai2:ain  to  \Vashin,uton  until  he  went  to  emancipate  the  slave  in  all 
the  leuij^th  and  breadth  of  the  Union.  He  now  became  actively  en- 
ji;at(ed  in  political  discussions,  notalil}'  in  joint  debates  with 
Stephen  A.  Doujj^las,  upon  the  Drcd-Scott  decision  and  the  Kan- 
sas-Nebraska bill.  Of  their  debate  in  vSpringfield,  on  the  latter 
question,  the  Springfield  Joiinin/  speaks  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  argu- 
ment as  follows:  "He  quivered  with  feeling  and  emotion;  the 
whole  house  was  as  still  as  death.  He  attacked  the  bill  (Kansas- 
Nebraska)  with  unusual  warmth  and  energy,  and  all  felt  that  a 
man  of  strength  was  its  enemy,  and  that  he  intended  to  blast  it 
if  he  could  by  strong  and  manly  efforts.  He  was  most  success- 
ful, and  the  long  continued  huzjcas  of  the  house  approved  the 
JL^lorious  triumph  of  truth.  Women  waved  their  handkerchiefs 
iu  token  of  woman's  silent  but  heartfelt  consent.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  speech  every  man  felt  that  it  was  unanswerable; 
that  no  human  power  could  overthrow  it  or  trample  it  under  foot, 
and  every  mind  present  did  homage  to  the  man  who  took  captive 
the  heart,  and  broke  like  a  sun  over  the  understanding." 

After  one  of  the  most  exciting  political  contests  ever  known, 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  President  of  tlie  United  States,  in  No- 
vember i(S6o,  and  was  inaugurated  on  the  fourth  of  the  followin^^; 
March,  and  the  affairs  of  government  were  turned  over  to  Repub- 
Hcan  administration  by  the  Democratic  hands  which  had  so  long 
controlled  it,  together  with  the  momentous  questions  which  at 
this  critical  period  agitated  the  Nation  as  never  before. 


H6 


TMK  WIIITH  CITY  —  I'RKSH/KNTS. 


Then  followed  the  call  for  troops,  and  the  terrible  issues  of 
civil  war  were  joined.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  re-elected  President  in 
1.S64,  and  closely  followinj^  upon  his  second  inanjj^ural  came  die 
surrender  of  Lee  and  the  fall  of  Richmond.  Tiie  North  was  in 
a  tunnilt  of  rejoicing.  The  war  was  over;  white-robed  peace 
again  reigned  triumphant,  and  every  heart  sang  the  praises 
of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Hut  in  the  midst  of  these  scenes  of  re- 
joicing came  that  terrible  assassination  at  the  hands  of  John 
Wilkes  Booth,  and,  on  the  fifteenth  of  April,  1865,  the  great  soul 
of  Lincoln  went  back  to  God  v.ho  gave  it,  and  the  earthly  career 
of  one  of  earth's  greatest  and  noblest  men  was  ended.  Livinjf, 
he  was  loved  as  man  is  rarely  loved;  d3nng,  he  bequeathed  to  this 
Nation  a  legacy-  of  patriotic  devotion  which  will  last  as  long  as 
time  shall  endure. 


flndpcw  Johnson. 


^HE  early  life  of  this  man,  so  suddenly  called  upon 
to  fill  the  office  of  chief  niajj;istrate  of  the  United 
States,  in  the  overwhelming^  Rnef  which  bore  the 
nation  to  the  cartli  in  the  sad  death  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  was  one  of  poverty  and  friendlessncss. 
He  was  born  in  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  Decem- 
ber 29,  1S08.  His  parents,  who  were  among  the 
"poor  whites"  of  the  South,  were  unable  to  give  the  boy  the 
slightest  advantages  of  an  education,  and,  until  the  age  of  ten 
years,  he  was  a  ragged  urchin  about  the  streets  of  his  native 
city,  unable  either  to  read  or  write.  He  was  at  this  age  appren- 
ticed to  a  tailor  and  while  he  was  learning  his  trade  he  learned  to 
read,  but  he  never  attended  school  a  daj-  in  his  life.  In  i<S26  he 
removed  to  Greenville,  Tennessee,  where  he  was  married  to  a 
young  lady  of  estimable  character  who  became  his  teacher  in 
the  common  English  branches,  reading  to  him  while  he  worked 
at  his  trade  of  tailor,  and  teaching  him  in  the  evening.  In  1828 
he  was  elected  one  of  the  akbrmen  of  Greenville,  by  the  labor- 
ing classes,  among  whom  he  was  a  recognized  leader,  and  in 
i8u)  was  made  Mavor. 

Mr.  Johnson  now  became  thoroughly  identified  with  polit- 
ical life,  being  a  Jacksonian  Democrat,  and  as  such,  was  elected 
to  the  State  Legislature  in  1835,  and  again  in  1839.  In  1841 
Mr.  Johnson  was  elected  a  State  Senator,  and  in  1843  represented 
his  district  in  the  lower  house  of  Congress,  which  latter  position 
he  retained  for  ten  j^ears.     At  the  expiration  of  this  period,  in 


Presidents, 


87 


'"WttfaMDa 


88 


THK    WHITK    CITY 


rRKSinHNTS. 


1853,  he  M-as  elected  Governor  of  Tennessee,  rind  re-elected  in 
1855.  In  the  gnbernatorial  office,  as  in  those  positions  of  trust 
with  which  he  had  been  heretofc^rc  lionored,  Mr.  Johnson  was  n. 
zealons  defender  of  the  rights  of  the  sons  of  toil,  and  an  active 
champion  of  their  wants. 

In  1857  Mr.  Johnson  was  elected  United  States  Senator  for 
the  term  of  six  j'ears,  and  here,  as  he  had  done  in  the  House, 
he  adopted,  in  general,  the  Democratic  policy,  which  opposed  a 
protective  tariff,  the  United  States  Bank,  and  all  plans  for  in- 
ternal improvement  by  the  National  Government. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  of  the  people,  and  grew  np  among 
the  people;  he  never  permitted  a  sneer  at  the  workingman  to 
pass  nnrebnked.  Replying  to  one  of  the  finest  speakers  in  the 
United  States  Senate  he  said:  "I  do  not  forget  that  I  am  a  me- 
chanic; nor  do  I  forget  that  Adam  was  a  tailor  and  sewed  fig- 
leaves,  and  that  onr  Savionr  was  the  son  of  a  carpenter."  ua 
the  qnestion  of  slavery  Mr.  Johnson  defined  his  position  in  the 
following  words:  '*My  position  is,  that  Congress  lias  no  power 
to  interfere  with  the  snbject  of  slaver}-;  that  it  is  an  institution 
local  in  its  character,  and  pecnliar  to  the  States  where  it  e:>;ists, 
and  no  other  power  has  the  right  to  control  it."  He  was  a 
staunch  Union  man  and  opposed  the  ideas  of  secession  in  strong- 
est terms.  So  pronounced  was  his  opposition  to  the  position 
taken  by  nearh-  every  Southern  Senator  and  Representative, 
that  they  finally  denounced  him  as  a  traitor  to  the  South.  So 
bitter  was  the  feeling  against  him  that  in  1861  he  was  burned  iri 
effigy  in  Memphis,  Tennessee,  and  subsequently  hooted  at  by 
the  mobs,  and  even  threatened  with  lynching.  His  home  was 
invaded,  his  sick  wife,  with  hei  child  in  her  arms,  was  ruthlessly 
driven  into  the  street,  his  slaves  confiscated,  and  his  house  turned 
ii.o  a  hospital  and  barracks  by  the  Confederates. 

In  February,  1S62,  Mr.  Johnson  Avas  appointed,  by  Pres- 
ident Lincoln,  Military  Governor  of  Tennessee  and,  in  the 
month  following,  he  entered  upon  the  diities  of  his  office  with 
headquarters  at  ivlashville. 


PRF.SIDENTS — JOHNSON'. 


89 


One  of  the  first  official  acts,  when  the  Mayor  and  city  coun- 
cil of  Nashville  refused  to  obey  his  order  to  take  the  oath  of  al- 
lej^^iance  to  the  United  States  government,  wr.s  to  send  them  all 
to  the  penitentiary ;  and  the  editor  of  the  Nashville  Banner^  for 
uttering  treasonable  sentiments,  was  sent  to  keep  them  company, 
and  his  paper  suppressed.  He  imprisoned  five  clergymen  for 
preaching  treason  fron'  their  pulpits. 

Shortly  after  the  Confedera<-e  armies  placed  Nashville  in  a 
state  of  siege  and  General  Buell,  who  was  in  command,  deter- 
mined to  evacuate  the  city,  IMr.  Johnson  said:  "I  am  not  a 
religious  man,  and  have  never  pretended  to  be  religious;  but 
there  is  one  thing  about  it,  I  do  believe  in  Almight}^  God,  and  I 

believe  also  in  the  Bible,  but  I  .say  d n  me  if  Nashville  shall 

be  surrendered." 

The  circumstances  surrounding  Mr.  Johnson  seem  to  have 
led  him  into  sympathy  with  the  Republican  party,  and  he  was 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  in  November,  1864, 
with  Abraham  Lincoln  as  President.  They  were  inaugurated 
on  tlie  fourth  of  March  following,  and  soon  the  clouds  of  gloom 
which  had  so  long  hung  over  the  land  began  to  break,  and  on 
the  ninth  of  April,  1865,  the  Rebel  army,  under  General  Lee, 
surrendered  and  joy  reigned  in  the  nation's  heart.  Five  days 
later  the  bullet  of  the  assassin  ended  the  earthly  life  of  Pres- 
ident Lincoln,  and  in  less  than  three  hours  after  his  death  An- 
drew Johnson  became  President  of  the  Ignited  States. 

Very  soon  after  the  accession  of  Mr.  Johnson  to  the  Presi- 
dency it  became  apparent  that  the  Executive  and  Congress  were 
decidedly  an+^^agouistic  on  the  question  of  the  reorganization  of 
the  Southern  States.  The  President  held  that  the  seceding 
States  had  never  been  out  of  the  Union,  and  tha<^^  their  acts  of 
secession  were  absolutely  void,  while  Congress  maintained  that, 
while  the  acts  of  secession  v.ere  unconstitutional,  yet  these 
States  had  actually  been  out  of  the  Union,  and  that  to  enable 
them  to  again  resume  their  former  status  would  require  special 
legih-lation.     \"arious   other  subjects  arose    from    time   to   time 


li 


III 


r 


90 


THE   WHITE   CITY  —  PRESIDENTS. 


which  served  to  increase  the  spirit  of  discord  between  the  Presi- 
dent and  Congress,  until  the  impeachment  of  the  President  was 
decided  upon.  The  trial  continued  over  two  months  and  finally 
resulted  in  the  President's  acquittal,  it  requiring  a  two-thirds 
vote  to  convict  and  the  vote  standing  thirty-four  for  impeach- 
ment and  nineteen  against. 

His  death  occurred  at  the  residence  of  his  daughter,  at  Car- 
ter Station,  Tennessee,  July  27,  1S75. 


S?f^ 


Ulvsscs  S  Gpant. 


"^T-^HE  life  of  Ulysses  vS.  Grant  is  cue  of  develop- 
ment, rather  than  of  original  prominence  or 
promise.  He  was  an  energetic,  honest,  modest 
boy  whose  latent  virtnes  and  heroism  the  war  de- 
veloped. Point  Pleasant,  Ohio,  was  his  birth- 
place, on  April  29,  1822.  He  received  a  common 
school  education  at  Georgetown,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  entered  the  Military  Academy,  at  West 
Point,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1843.  He  then  spent  two 
years  as  a  Lieutenant  of  Infantry  at  a  military  post  in  ]\Iissouri ; 
afterwards  participating  in  the  Mexican  war,  where  he  earned  the 
connnission  of  Captain.  In  1854  Captain  Grant  resigned  his 
commission,  married,  and  settled  on  a  small  farm  near  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  In  1859  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  his  father 
in  the  leather  business,  which  proved  a  paying  venture. 

When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  Captain  Grant  said  to  those 
about  him  in  his  home:  "Uncle  Sam  educated  me  for  the  army; 
and  though  I  have  served  him  through  one  war,  I  do  not  feel 
that  I  have  yet  repaid  the  debt.  I  am  still  ready  to  discharge 
my  obligations;  I  shall  buckle  on  the  sword,  and  see  Uncle  Sam 
through  this  war  too."  Ten  days  after  the  fall  of  Sumter  he 
presented  himself  to  Governor  Yates  at  the  head  of  a  company 
of  volunteers  whicl:  he  had  organized.  June  15,  186 1,  he  re- 
ceived a  commission  as  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  of 
Illinois  Volunteers.  In  August,  1861,  he  was  promoted  b}-  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General,  and  assigned  to 


I'ri'siiJonts. 


91 


I» 

El 


92 


THK  WHITE   CITY  —  PRKSIDENT.S. 


the  command  of  the  district  of  Southeaster);  Missouri,  with  head- 
quarters at  Cairo.  In  February,  1S62,  while  General  Grant  was 
preparing  to  storm  the  intrenchments  at  Fort  Donaldson,  Gen- 
eral Buckncr,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Rebel  forces,  sent  a 
note  asking  for  terms  of  surrender.  General  Grant's  rcpl}-  was 
characteristic  :  "No  terms  can  be  accepted  but  unconditional  sur- 
render. I  propose  to  move  immediately  iipon  your  works." 
Stringent  as  they  were  the  terms  were  accepted  and  fifteen 
thousand  men,  seventy-five  guns  and  a  large  amount  of  military 
stores  fell  into  the  victor's  hands. 

General  Grant  had  introduced  a  new  feature  of  persistent 
and  aggressive  action  on  the  part  of  the  army  under  his  leader- 
ship, the  results  of  which  were  manifest  at  Fort  Donaldson,  and 
that  brilliant  victor}-,  which  was  really  the  first  important  success 
the  Northern  armies  had  achieved,  aroused  the  Nation,  and  Sec- 
retary Stanton  recommended  General  Grant  as  Maj  or-General  of 
Volunteers.  President  Lincoln  immediately  sent  the  nomination 
to  the  Senate  where  it  was  at  once  confirmed.  General  Grant 
thus  won  for  himself  a  National  reputation ;  he  was  now  given 
command  of  the  military  district  of  Tennessee. 

Following  this  the  battle  of  Shiloh  was  fought  and  General 
Grant  again  won  an  important  victory.  Then  came  the  fanions 
siege  of  \'icksburg,  where,  for  weeks  and  even  months,  there  was 
almost  continual  fighting.  Some  one  asked  General  Grant  if  lie 
really  expected  to  take  Vicksburg.  "Certainly,"  he  replied,  "I 
cannot  tell  exactly  when  I  shall  take  the  town,  but  I  mean  to 
stay  here  tmtil  I  do,  if  it  takes  me  thirty  years."  At  length  on 
the  fourth  of  July,  1863,  the  white  flags  along  the  Rebel  lines  an- 
nounced the  unconditional  surrender  of  Vicksburg.  It  was  one 
of  the  most  notable  conquests  of  the  war ;  nearly  forty  thousand 
prisoners  were  taken  and  the  Mississippi  River  was  opened  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  On  the  twenty-fifth  of  October,  1863, 
occurred  the  memorable  battle  of  Chattanooga,  which  pierced 
the  heart  of  the  Rebellion,  saved  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and 
opened  the  door  for  that  wonderful  march  to  the  sea.      Congress 


PRESI  DENTS  —  GRANT. 


9j 


now  ordered  u  gold  medal,  \yith  appropriate  emblems,  to  be  pre- 
sented to  General  Grant,  together  with  a  vote  of  thanks,  in  which 
several  of  the  States  joined. 

Wherever  he  went  he  was  received  with  the  warmest  en- 
thusiam;  bnt  nothing  conld  flatter,  persnade  nor  provoke  him 
into  making  a  speech,  with  one  single  exception.  One  evening 
it  was  learned  that  Grant  was  stopping  at  a  certain  hotel  in  St. 
Louis.  An  immense  crowd  gathered  and  commenced  shonting 
for  a  speech.  After  a  long  delay  he  appeared  upon  the  balcony 
and  said,  slowly  and  deliberately,  to  the  breathless  audience : 
"Gentlemen,  making  speeches  is  not  my  business;  I  never  did 
it  in  my  life,  and  I  never  will.  I  thank  you,  however,  for  your 
attendance  here." 

In  February,  1S64,  Congress  conferred  upon  General  Grant 
the  distinguished  rank  of  Lieutenant-General  and  in  March  fol- 
lowing he  was  summoned  to  Washington  to  receive  his  creden- 
tials.    Crowds  gathered  at  every  station,  eager  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  his  face.     He  reached  W^ashington  and,  going  to  Willard's 
Hotel,  slipped  into  the  dining  room  and  secured  a   seat  at  the 
table  without  being  recognized.     While  'at  the  table  some  one 
entered  the  room  who  knew  the  General,  and  at  once  said  to  the 
guests,  "Gen.  Ulysses  S.  Grant  is  present."     Instantly  the  en- 
tire company  arose  to  its    feet   and   ciieer   after   cheer  echoed 
through  Ihe  room.     A  brilliant  reception  was  given  the  same 
evening  in  his  honor,  by  President  Lincoln,  but  General  Grant 
had  no  taste  for  public  parade  and  populai  applause  and  said  to 
a  friend  that  night:     "I  hope  to  get  away  from  Washington  as 
soon  as  possible,  for  I  am  tired  of  this  show  business  already." 
General  Grant  now  gave  himself  unreservedly  to  the  one 
purpose  of  bringing  the  war  to  a  close.     The  only  means  he  be- 
lieved possible  was  a  destruction  of  the  Rebel  forces,  and  to  this 
end  he  labored.     At  length  on  the  ninth  of  April,  1865,  General 
Lee  surrendered  and  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  was  over. 

General  Grant  was  elected  President  of  the  United  States 
in  November,    1868,  and  entered  upon  the  duties   of  his  new 


mill 


94 


THK    WHITK   CITY  —  PRESIDENTS. 


office  in  March  following.  The  Southern  States  were  in  a  sadly 
chaotic  condition,  and  he  was  called  npon  to  deal  with  many  per- 
plexing political  problems.  Dnring  this  term  of  office  the  Fif- 
teenth Amendment  to  the  Constitution  was  ratified  by  the 
requisite  number  of  States;  government  bonds  reached  a  par 
value;  a  new  Indian  policy  was  adopted,  and  the  question  of  the 
Alabama  claims  was  settled  by  a  treaty  with  Great  Britain.  He 
was  re-elected  President  in  1872.  During  this  term  occurred  the 
Centennial  Exposition  in  Philadelphia,  which  was  opened  by 
the  President. 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  second  term  he  made  that  memor- 
able tour  of  the  world,  and  was  the  recipient  of  more  unbounded 
honor  than  has  ever  been  accorded  any  other  American  citizen, 
every  nation  vieing  with  its  neighbor  to  do  him  homage 

After  an  extended  illness,  he  died,  at  Mount  McGregor. 
New  York,  July  23,  1885,  and  his  remains  lie  in  Riverside  Park 
on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  River,  in  New  York  City. 


I  a  sadly 
any  pcr- 
thc  Fif- 
by  the 
id  a  par 
on  of  the 
am.  He 
;urrccl  the 
peiiecl  by 

.t  menior- 
nbouuded 
in  citizen, 
;e 

VIcGregor, 
rside  Park 


>^ 


.^ 


^^>, 


Rutbopfopd  B.  HavoS. 


IIE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Delaware,  Ohio,  October  4,  1S22.  His  edu- 
cation began  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  town,  Snbseqiiently  he  attended  the 
academy  at  Norwalk,  Ohio,  and  entered  Ken- 
yon  College,  at  Gambier,  Ohio,  in  1838,  gradn- 
ting  therefrom,  in  1832,  as  \aledictorian  of  his  class. 
He  at  once  began  the  stndy^  of  law  in  the  office  of  Thomas  Spar- 
row, at  Columbns,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1845.  In  1850 
he  opened  a  law  office  in  Cincinnati,  where,  in  1854,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  R.  W.  Corwine  and  W.  K.  Rogers,  nnder 
the  firm  name  of  Corwine,  Hayes  &  Rogers. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  W.   Webb,  daughter  of  Dr. 
James  Webb,  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  December  30,  1852. 

Directly  after  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter,  Mr.  Hayes 
entered  the  United  States  service  and  was  commissioned  Major 
of  the  Twenty-third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry\  Of  this  regi- 
ment W.  S.  Rosecrans  was  Colonel,  and  Stanley  Matthews 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  Major  Hayes  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  September  19,1861,  and  was  raised  to  the 
rank  of  Colonel,  October  24,  1862.  At  the  battle  of  Cedar 
Creek,  so  great  was  the  gallantry^  of  Colonel  Hayes,  that  Gen- 
eral Sheridan  graped  his  hand  on  the  battlefield  and  said: 
"Colonel,  from  this  day  forward  you  will  be  a  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral!" March  13,  1865,  he  was  (ommissioned  brevet  Major-Gen- 
eral  for  distinguished  services  during  the  campaign  in  West 
Virginia. 


I'ri'>i(li'iits 


8B 


96 


THK   WHITK    CITY  —  I'REvSIDKNTS. 


i 

'■mill 

1 
i 

i 

1 

•J 
i. 

In  December,  1865,  General  Hayes  took  his  seat  as  a  Mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Thirty-Ninth  Con- 
gress, and  was  re-elected  in  1S66.  He  was  elected  Governor  of 
Ohio  in  1867,  and  again  in  1869.  In  187 1  he  declined  a  re-tioni- 
ination,  but  in  1875,  was  a  third  time  elected  to  the  guberna- 
torial office  of  that  State. 

In  1876,  occurred  the  memorable  struggle  for  the  Presi- 
dency, Mr.  Hayes  being  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party 
and  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  of  the  Democrat.  After  a  vigorous  cam- 
paign, which  was  ably  conducted  on  both  sides,  the  result  of  the 
election  was  in  doubt.  Both  parties  claimed  to  have  carried  the 
States  of  South  Carolina,  Florida  and  Louisiana.  The  anxiety 
and  excitement  throughout  the  country  was  intense.  Concern- 
ing the  grave  questions  of  counting  the  electoral  votes  and  the 
settlement  of  the  contests  in  the  disputed  States,  Congresr,  held 
protracted  and  anxious  sessions  without  reaching  a  satisfactory 
conclusion.  At  last  both  agreed  to  refer  the  question  to  a  com- 
mission, known  as  the  Electoral  Commission,  which  was  com- 
posed of  fifteen  members,  five  from  the  House  of  Representatives, 
five  from  the  Senate,  and  the  remaining  five  were  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  The  Commission  was  as 
follows: 

From  the  Senate,  George  F.  Edmonds,  of  Vermont;  Oliver 
P.  Morton,  of  Indiana,  and  Fredrick  T.  Frelinghuysen,  of  New 
Jersey,  Republicans;  and  Allen  G.  Thurman,  of  Ohio,  and 
Thomas  F.  Bayard,  of  Delaware,  Democrats. 

From  the  House,  Henry  W.  Paine,  of  Ohio;  Josiah  B.  Abbot, 
of  Massachusetts,  and  Eppa  Hunton,  of  Virginia,  Democrats; 
and  George  F.  Hoar,  of  Massachusetts,  and  James  A.  Garfield, 
of  Ohio,  Republicans. 

From  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  William  Strong,  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  Samuel  F.  Miller,  of  Iowa,  Republicans;  and 
Nathan  Clifford,  of  Maine,  and  S.  J.  Field,  of  California,  Demo- 
crats. These  four  Judges  were  to  select  the  fifth.  Their  choice 
fell  upon  Judge  Joseph  P.  Bradley,  of  New  Jersey,  who  was  a 


PRKvSIDKN'TS —  HAVKS. 


97 


Ripublican,  and  as  the  Republicans  thus  had  a  majority  of  one 
ill  the  Commission;  this  seated  Mr.  Hayes  in  the  Presidential 
chair.  > 

He  gave  the  country  a  conservative  and  dignified  administra- 
tion, notwithstanding  the  criticisms  that  were  made  by  his  politi- 
cal opponents,  and  even  b}-  members  of  his  own  party,  that  he 
was  not  eh   ted  to  the  office. 

Air.  Hayes  died  at  his  home   in  Fremont,  Ohio,  January 

i7>  ^^9i'   ■ 


on  was  as 


m 


James  fl.  Gapficld. 


AxMHvS  A.  (iARFIKIJ),  youngest  son  of  Abram  uiul 
.  Hli/a  Ballon  Garfield,  was  born  in  Bedford,  Orauj^e 
Township,  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio,  November  ly, 
183 1.  His  father  died  when  James  was  milv 
eighteen  months  old,  and  the  care  of  the  farm  and 
the  four  children  devolved  on  the  mother.  As  soon 
as  the  lad  could  handle  a  hoe  or  hold  a  plow  he  was 
called  into  service,  and  as  he  grew  older  he  shoul- 
dered his  full  share  of  the  farm  labor.  When  about  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  obtained  a  position  on  the  canal  boat  "Eveuini( 
Star,"  as  driver  at  twelve  dollars  a  month.  One  dark,  stormy 
night  he  accidently  fell  overboard  and  was  rescued  by,  what 
seemed  to  him,  little  less  than  a  miracle.  This  proved  to  be  an 
important  event  in  the  life,  of  Garfield,  and  arguing  that,  since 
Providence  thought  his  life  worth  saving,  he  would  not  throw  it 
away  on  a  canal  boat,  he  resolved  to  return  home,  .secure  an 
education  and  become  a  man.  He  at  once  acted  upon  this  reso- 
lution and  went  home,  where  he  attended  school  and  fitted  liini- 
self  for  teaching.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  began  to  prepare 
himself  for  college.  In  March  of  this  year  he  joined  the  Church 
of  the  Disciples.  Three  yeai-s  later  he  entered  the  junior  class 
at  Williams  College.  In  the  winter  of  1855,  during  a  vacation, 
he  taught  a  writing  class  at  North  Pownal,  Vermont,  in  the  same 
school-house  where,  a  year  before,  Chester  A.  Arthur  was  princi- 
pal. He  graduated  from  Williams  College  with  high  honors  in 
1856,  and  entered  Hiram  College  as  a  teacher  of  ancient  hui- 


PresiJcnts. 


98 


w 


PRKSIOKNTS  —  OARFIKF.D. 


99 


(Tn:i,c:es  and  literature.  The  next  year  he  became  president  of 
Hiram  College,  which  position  he  held  until  iS6i,  when  he  re- 
signed to  enter  the  army. 

While  Garfield  was  preparing  for  college  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  Miss  Lucretia  Rudolph,  who  was  also  a  student  at 
tile  academy.  They  became  engaged  and  in  185S,  when  he  be- 
came president  of  Hiram  College,  they  were  married. 

Mr.  Garfield  now  began  to  interest  himself  in  politics  and 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party.  In  1859  he  was 
elected  to  the  Ohio  Senate,  and  at  (mce  took  high  rank,  and 
proved  to  be  an  eloquent  and  powerful  debator. 

When  the  war  broke  out  Mr.  Garfield  dedicated  his  life  to 
liis  country.  Addressing  a  friend,  he  writes:  "I  regard  my  life 
as  given  to  my  country.  I  am  only  anxious  to  make  as  much 
of  it  as  possible  before  the  mortgage  on  it  is  foreclosed."  He 
entered  the  service  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Forty-second 
Ohio  regiment  and  soon  became  its  Colonel.  He  was  made  a 
Brigadier-General  in  January,  1862,  and  a  Major-General  iu 
1863,  resigning  his  commission  in  December  of  that  year  to 
enter  Congress,  where  he  served  with  distinguished  honor  until 
1880,  when  he  was  elected  United  States  Senator  from  Ohio. 

The  following  incident  will  illustrate  the  rare  oratorical 
power  of  General  Garfield : 

The  day  after  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln  50,000 
people  were  assembled  around  the  Exchange  building  in  New 
York  City.  The  cry  of  this  vast  crowd  was  Vengeance!  Two 
men,  one  dead,  and  the  other  dying,  lay  on  the  pavement  of  one 
of  the  side  streets,  who,  a  moment  before,  had  said  that  Lincoln 
ought  to  have  been  shot  long  ago.  It  was  a  critical  moment. 
There  was  no  telling  what  that  crowd  of  excited  men  would 
do.  Just  then  a  man  stepped  forward  on  the  balcony  of  the  Ex- 
change building,  waving  a  small  flag  and  beckoning  to  the  crowd. 
There  was  a  momentary  silence  as  every  eye  was  turned  toward 
him.  Raising  his  right  arm  heavenward,  and  in  a  clear,  steady 
voice  he  said:    "Fellow  citizens:    Clouds  and  darkness  are  round 


m 


lOO 


TIIK   WHIPK   CITY  —  rkl-KIDKN'TS. 


about  Him !  His  pavilion  is  dark  waters  and  thick  clouds  of  the 
skies!  Justice  and  judjj^nient  are  the  establishnieut  of  His 
throne!  Mercy  and  truth  shall  j^o  before  His  face!  Fellow  citi- 
zens, Ood  reij^Mis  and  the  Government  at  Washington  still 
lives!" 

As  if  by  magic  the  fierce  passions  of  that  angry  host  were 
quelled,  and  those  men  stood  as  though  rooted  to  the  ground, 
gazing  with  awe  into  the  face  of  that  inspired  num.  It  was  a 
triumph  of  eloquence  unsurpassed  in  the  annals  of  American 
history.  The  crisis  was  passed,  and  the  hero  of  that  wonderful 
hour  stood  there  in  the  person  of  James  A.  Garfield. 

After  a  most  vigorous  campaign,  General  Garfield  was 
elected  President  of  the  United  States  in  November  1880,  and 
inaugurated  on  the  fourth  of  March  following.  The  military  dis- 
play on  that  occasion  was  one  of  the  nu)st  imposing  ever  wit- 
nessed in  Washington,  upon  any  similar  occasion. 

July  2,  1 88 1,  will  be  memorable  in  the  histor}'  of  the  Na- 
tion as  the  day  when  President  Garfield  was  stricken  down  by 
the  bullet  of  the  assassin,  Charles  J.  Giteau.  For  eighty  days 
hope  and  fear  struggled  in  the  Nation's  heart.  Would  tlic 
President  recover?  Almost  the  first  question  that  was  asked,  as 
morning  after  morning  came,  was:  "How  is  the  President?" 
and  hopes  rose  or  fell  with  the  answer.  At  last,  on  the 
nineteenth  of  September,  death  claimed  him  for  its  own  and  the 
brave  heart  of  Garfield  ceased  to  beat — the  mortgage  was  fore- 
closed and  his  country's  service  was  finished.  In  twenty-four 
hours  the  President's  death  was  known  all  over  the  civilized 
world,  and  from  every  hamlet  and  village  in  this  great  land  there 
arose  such  a  crj'  of  sorrow  as  heaven's  arches  have  rarely  echoed. 

"The  stars  on  our  banners  jrrow  suddenly  dim  ; 
Let  us  weep  in  our  sadness,  but  weep  not  for  him — 
-  -  -,  Not  for  him  who,  in  dyinj{.  left  miUions  in  tears; 

Not  for  him  who  has  died  full  of  honors  and  years; 
Not  for  him  who  ascended  fame's  ladder  so  hijlh, 
From  the  round  at  the  top  he  has  stepped  to  the  sky.'' 


'    Chester  .R.  HPthuP. 


IPJ^^HE  twenty-first  President  of  the  United  States 
was  born  at  Fairfield,  Franklin  Connty,  Vermont, 
October  5,  1S30.  He  was  the  elder  of  the  two 
sons  of  Rev.  Dr.  William  Artluir,  a  Baptist  cler- 
gyman, and  a  man  of  fine  literary  attainments. 
Attending  school,  first  at  Union  \'illage,  Wash- 
ington Connty,  New  York,  and  later  at  Schenec- 
tady, he  entered  Union  College  in  i<S4;j,  and 
j,niulnated  with  distinction  in  1848.  He  then  attended  a  law 
school  at  Ballston  Springs,  for  a  time,  and  in  185 1,  became  prin- 
cipal of  the  North  Pownal,  \^ermont,  academy. 

In  1853  Mr.  Arthur  removed  to  the  city  of  New  York  and 
entered  the  law  ofiice  of  E.  D.  Culver  as  a  student.  In  the  suc- 
ceeding year  he  was  admitted  to  practice  and  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Culver,  Parker  &  Arthur.  His  ability  as  a  law- 
yer was  early  developed,  and  his  personal  interest  in  the  coming 
struggle  over  slavery  was  indicated  by  his  successful  manage- 
ment of  the  now  celebrated  Lemmon  slave  case. 

In  1852  Jonathan  Lemmon,  a  Virginia  slaveholder,  brought 
eight  slaves  from  Norfolk  to  New  York,  intending  to  ship  them 
to  Texas.  A  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  issued  by  Justice  Paine, 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  New  York,  commanding  the  persons 
having  the  slaves  in  charge  to  bring  them  into  court.  After  ex- 
llausti^'e  arguments  by  the  counsel  on  both  sides.  Justice  Paine 
ordered  the  slaves  to  be  released,  upon  the  ground  that  the  fugi- 


Presldetits. 


101 


I02 


THK   WHITE   CITY  —  I'RKSIDENTS. 


11 


tive  slave  law  did  not  apply  to  them,  and  that,  under  none  other 
than  that  National  law  could  any  human  creature  be  held  in 
bondage  in  the  Empire  State. 

Judge  Paine's  decision  created  intense  excitement  in  the 
slave  States,  affirming,  as  it  practically  did,  that  every  slave,  not 
a  fugitive,  being  brought  by  his  master  into  a  free  St;'.te,  was 
thereby  made  free.  This  decision  was  susta'ued  by  the  Suprcim.' 
Court  of  New  York,  where  Mr.  Arthur  appeared  as  State's  At- 
torney, and  later  by  the  Court  of  Appeals. 

Mr.  Arthur  took  an  active  interest  in  politics  at  a  very  early 
age,  but  it  was  not  until  1865  that  he  became  prominently  con- 
nected with  politics  in  New  York  City. 

The  day  following  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter,  Mr. 
Arthur  was  appointed  Quartermaster-General  at  New  York,  and 
at  once  began  the  Herculean  task  of  quartering,  uniforming, 
equipping  and  arming  the  soldiers  of  New  York  for  the  war. 
This  was  a  task  of  enormous  proportions,  but  General  Arthur 
was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  forwarding 
nearly  700,000  men,  whom  he  had  equipped  with  uniforms  and 
muskets.  This  great  force  constituted  nearly  one-fifth  of  tlie 
Northern  army. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  General  Arthur  resumed  his  law 
practice,  being  now  the  senior  member  of  the  well-known  firm  of 
Arthur,  Phelps,  Knevrls  &  Ransom.  In  November,  187 1,  he 
was  appointed,  by  President  Grant,  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New 
York,  and  re-appointed  in  1875,  being  the  first  Collector  of  the 
Port  ever  receiving  a  re-appointment. 

In  1859  General  Arthur  was  married  to  Ellen  L.  Herndon, 
daughter  of  Capt.  William  L.  Herndoii,  of  Fredericksburg, 
Virginia.  Mrs.  Arthur  died  suddenly,  in  January,  1880,  leaving 
a  son  and  daughter. 

General  Arthur  was  elected  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States,  in  November,  1880,  General  Garfield  being  President. 

When  those  terrible  days  of  suffering  were  over,  and  the 
spirit  of  the  assassinated  Garfield  passed  into  the  great  beyo^d^ 


PRESIDENTS  —  ARTHUR. 


103 


G'nieral  Arthur  took  the  oath  of  office  and  became  the  fourth  of 
our  Nation's  Executives  who  were  called  to  the  chair  of  State  by 
tlic  death  of  their  predecessors,  rather  than  by  the  suffrages  of 
the  people.  ■';  ,       . 

President  Arthur's  administration  was  uniformly  able,  digni- 
fied and  excellent.  During  his  term  of  office  occurred  the 
dedication  of  that  greatest  scientific  achievement  and  most 
marvellous  triumph  of  engineering  skill,  of  this  or  any  other 
century,  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Bridge;  designed  by 
American  genius,  made  in  American  workshops,  and  built  by 
American  skill. 

November  29,  18P3,  occurred  the  centennial  celebration  of 
the  evacuation  of  the  city  of  New  York  by  the  British.  At  the 
date  of  the  evacuation,  in  1783,  New  York  had  a  population  of 
twenty-three  thousand,  but  on  this  centennial  day  its  population 
exceeded  one  million  two  hundred  thousand;  on  this  day  also 
was  unveiled  the  bronze  statue  of  Washington,  in  front  of  the 
Sub-Treasury  building  on  Wall  Street. 

On  Saturday,  February  21,  1885  (the  22nd  falling  on  Sun-  , 
day),  occurred  the  celebration  of  the  dedication  of  the  Memorial 
Monument  to  George  W^ashington.  Robert  C.  Winthrop  deliv- 
ered the  oration,  and  the  formal  delivery  of  the  monument  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States  was  by  Col.  Thomas  L.  Casey,  to 
which  the  closing  sentence  of  President  Arthur's  reply  was  as 
follows : 

"  Other  and  more  eloquent  lips  tlian  mine  will  to-day  re-  , 
hearse  to  you  the  story  of  his  noble  life  and  its  glorious  achieve- 
ments. To  myself  has  been  assigned  a  simpler  and  more  formal 
duty,  in  fulfillment  of  which  I  do  now,  as  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  in  behalf  of  the  people,  receive  this  monu- 
ment from  the  hands  of  its  builder,  and  declare  it  dedicated  from 
this  time  to  the  immortal  name  and  memory  of  George  Wash- 
ington." 

l\Ir.   Arthur's   death   occurred   in    the   city  of  New  York, 
November  18,  1886. 


mrmmm 


i 

1 

!l   ,  :                  -: 

)jg/llggfftam^*' 

Bpovqp  Clcreland. 


LTHOUGH   distinctively   American,  the 
Clevelands  are  of  English  origin,  having 
'■■      first  settled  in  Connectient  more  than  two 
centnries  ago.    Richard  Falley  Clevelrnd, 
father  of  Grover  Cleveland,  was  born  at 
Norwich,  Conn.,  in  1804.     The  elder  Mr. 
Cleveland  and  his  cousin,  the  late  William  E.  Dodge, 
were  factory  boys   together.     He  graduated  from 
T-      Yale  College  in  1824;  from  thence  he  went  to  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  and  after  his  theological  course,  became 
a  Presbyterian  clergyman.     In  1839  he  married  I^Iiss  Anna  Neal, 
of  Baltimore.     His  third  charge  was  at  Caldwell,  New  Jersey, 
where  Grover  Cleveland  was  born,   March    i8,   1837.      Young 
Cleveland  was  named  in  honor  of  his  father's  predecessor  in  the 
pastorate  of  the  church  at  Caldwell,  Stephen  Grover;    but  from 
childhood  he  has  been  called  Grover,  and  has  always  written  his 
name  simpl}''  Grover  Cleveland.     In  1840  the  family  removed  to 
Fayetteville,  near  Syracuse,  New  York,  where  his  father  had  re- 
ceived a  call  to  preach,  and  in   1851   they  settled  at   Clinton, 
Oneida  County,  New  York.     Here  young  Grover  prepared  him- 
self for  college;  but  his  father's  death,  in   1853,  caused  a  great 
change  in  his  life-plans.     For  a  time  he  abandoned  all  hope  of  a 
college  education,  and  set  to  work  to  assist  in  supporting  the 
family.     In  the  spring  of   1855,  in  company  with  a  friend,  he 
started  for  Cleveland,  Ohio,  then  a  rising  city,  to  seek  his  fortune. 
He  stopped  at  Buffalo  to  visit  an  uncle — Mr.  Lewis  F.  Allen, — 


Pri'siUonls. 


104 


PRESIDENTS  —  CLP:VELAXD. 


105 


who,  finding  him  desirous  of  becoming  a  lawyer,  proposed  to  him 
to  remain  with  him  for  a  time,  and  endeavor  to  secure  a  place  in 
some  law  office  in  Buffalo.  This  offer  was  accepted  and,  in 
a  few  months,  through  the  influence  of  his  uncle,  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  Messrs.  Rogers,  Bowen  &  Rogers.  He  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  1859,  and  in  1S63  received  the  appointment  of 
Assistant  District  Attorney  for  Erie  County.  In  1866  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  the  late  I.  K.  Vanderpoel,  and  was  after- 
wards associated  with  the  late  A.  P.  Lansing,  and  the  late  Oscar 
Folsom.  He  was  elected  sheriff"  of  Erie  Count}'  in  1870,  and  in 
1874  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  forming  a  partnership  with  W. 
S.  Bissell ;  the  firm  remaining  Cleveland  &  Bissell  until  George 
J.  Sicard  joined  the  partnership  in  1881. 

Mr.  Cleveland  was  a  successful  lawyer,  and  a  fluent  and  forci- 
ble speaker.  He  had  a  clear  apprehension  of  legal  principles 
and  was  terse  and  logical  in  his  statement  of  them.  Personally 
Mr.  Cleveland  is  genial  and  unassuming;  always  self-possessed, 
rarely  demonstrative  and  never  loses  his  head  under  excitement. 
A  very  intimate  friend  of  Mr.  Cleveland  wrote,  just  after  his  first 
nomination  for  the  presidency:  "He  is  very  deli^_iate,  even 
somewhat  slow  in  forming  decisions,  but  after  he  has  settled  a 
matter  nobody  in  the  world  can  change  him.  He  has  taken 
many  positions  that  his  friends  thought  wrong  and  sometimes 
ruinous,  but  we  were  never  able  to  change  him,  and  it  has  often 
turned  oiit  that  he  was  right. "  The  subsequent  official  life  of 
Mr.  Cleveland  has  demonstrated  the  accuracy  of  his  friend's  esti- 
mate. 

Mr.  Cleveland  was  elected  Mayor  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  in 
1 88 1,  and  is  said  to  have  saved  the  city  nearly  $1,000,000  in  con- 
siderably less  than  a  year  by  vetoing  the  resolutions  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  in  awarding  contracts  for  street  cleaning,  etc. 

In  1882  Mr.  Cleveland  w-as  elected  Governor  of  the  State  of 
New  York  by  the  largest  majority  ever  received  by  anybody  in 
any  State  of  the  Union,  viz.,  192,854.  The  issue  was  one  of  re- 
form and,  while  this  vote  was  flattering  in  its  indications  of  the 


io6 


THK   WHITE   CITY  —  PRESIDENTS. 


great  confidence  the  people  placed  in  liini,  still  it  was  well  calcu- 
lated to  increase  his  sense  of  responsibility,  because  it  clearly 
showed  that  high  expectations  had  been  formed  as  to  what  he 
would  do. 

On  the  day  before  his  inauguration  as  Governor  he  came  to 
Albany  and  spent  the  night  at  the  executive  mansion,  and  the 
following  day  walked  through  the  throngs  of  people  in  the  streets 
to  the  Capitol  and  entered  the  building  unrecognized.  As  .soon 
as  the  simple  ceremony  of  inauguration  was  over  he  entered  the 
office  of  the  executive  and  went  quietly  to  work.  Here  may  be 
seen  both  his  dislike  for  public  ostentation  and  his  simple,  in- 
dustrious habits.  His  management  of  the  executive  office  so 
commended  him  to  the  people  of  the  State  and  Nation  that  a 
movement  to  place  him  in  nomination  for  the  Presidency  was  a 
natural  consequence. 

He  was  inaugurated  Piesident  on  the  fourth  of  March,  18S5. 
His  administration  was  marked  by  those  independent  qualities 
which  distinguish  the  man.  On  the  second  of  June,  1886,  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  Folsom,  daugliter 
of  his  friend  and  former  partner,  Oscar  Folsom.  Mrs.  Cleveland 
possesses  many  personal  attractions  and  is  sincerely  beloved  by 
all  who  know  her. 

Mr.  Cleveland  was  nominated  for  a  second  term  in  June 
1888,  but  was  defeated  by  Benjamin  Harrison,  the  nominee  of 
the  Republican  party ;  he  then  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  the  city  of  New  York.  Again  in  1892,  Mr.  Cleveland  was 
honored  by  the  nomination  of  his  party  for  the  presidency,  again 
running  against  Mr.  Harrison,  whom  he  defeated,  and  was  a 
second  time  inaugurated,  March  4,  1893. 


Ber?iaiT?in  RappisoR. 


■'\' 


OR  the  second  time  witliin  the  century  the  office 
/  of  Chief  Magistrate  of  this  great  Republic  has 
been  given,  by  the  suffrages  of  the  people,  to 
members  of  the  same  family.  Shortly  after 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  first  saw  the  light,  his 
grandfather,  beneath  whose  roof  the  lad  was  born, 
became  the  ninth  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  in  the  year  of  grace  1888  Benjamin  Harrison 
was  elected  to  that  distinguished  position. 
The  Harrisons  were  a  staunch  and  sturdy  race,  whose  .m- 
cestors  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Virginia,  and  the  name 
figures  prominently  among  the  heroes  of  the  Revolution.  Ben- 
jamin was  born  on  the  old  Harrison  farm  at  North  Bend,  Ohio, 
August  20,  1833.  He  was  named  for  his  great-grandfather,  who 
was  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence,  and, 
at  one  time,  Governor  of  Virginia.  His  father,  John  Scott  Har- 
rison, although  twice  a  member  of  Congress,  was  a  domestic  man 
who  loved  his  home  and  his  simple  farm  life  far  better  than  the 
fleeting  honors  of  political  life  and,  as  has  been  well  said, 
"will  always  stand  a  quiet,  unpretentious  figure  between  his 
famous  father  and  his  distinguished  son."  His  mother  was  a 
devoted,  Christian  woman,  and  much  of  President  Harrison's 
reverence  for  religion  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the  early  influences 
of  this  noble  mother.  His  rudimentary  education  was  received 
in  a  log  school  house,  near  his  early  home.  He  afterward  at- 
tended Farmer's  College,  which   was   located  a  short  distance 


iU 


I'r.M.li'iit.s. 


107 


■Wi 


108 


TriF.  WHITE  CITY  —  I'RKSIOKNTS. 


from  Cincinnati,  for  a  period  of  two  years,  and  then  entered 
Miami  University  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1851,  stand- 
ing fourth  in  his  class. 

When  the  young  man  left  college  he  found  himself  face  to 
face  with  his  own  fortune.  His  father  had  been  unfortunate  in 
financial  matters  and  lost  everything  he  was  worth  except  the 
farm,  which  he  managed  to  retain  through  the  assistance  of  some 
friends.  Without  any  repining  or  time  spent  in  mourning  over 
his  hard  lot,  the  young  man  secured  a  place  in  a  law-office  in  the 
city  of  Cincinnati,  and  with  an  earnestness  which  has  been  a 
distinguishing  characteristic  of  his  life,  began  to  prepare  for  the 
legal  profession. 

In  1853,  a  year  before  reaching  his  majority,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Caroline  W.  Scott,  a  beautiful  and  intelligent  young  lady 
whose  life  so  sadly  ended  at  the  White  House.  Sincere  love  and 
true  courage  sustained  this  young  couple  in  the  battle  with  iron- 
handed  fortune.  They  removed  to  Indianapolis  and  there  Mr. 
Harrison  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  The  battle  was  a 
severe  one ;  there  were  no  influential  friends  to  send  the  young 
lawyer  wealthy  clients ;  there  were  no  wealthy  relatives  to  pro- 
vide the  money  necessary  for  the  purchase  of  a  home  and  the 
comforts  of  life ;  but  there  was  a  manly  purpose,  there  was  a  clear 
mind  and  an  honest  heart  in  that  slender  young  lawyer  and  he 
toiled  on,  unwavering,  undaunted  until  the  victory  was  won  and 
success  perched  upon  his  banners. 

In  i860  he  was  elected  Supreme  Court  Reporter  and  per- 
formed the  duties  of  that  office  with  marked  ability.  He  was 
onl}^  twenty-seven  years  old  when  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  broke 
out,  but  he  believed  that  his  country  had  a  claim  superior  to  all 
others  and  began  raising  a  company  of  men  for  the  war.  He 
was  shortly  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Seventieth  Regiment, 
Indiana  Volunteers,  and  remained  with  this  regiment  until  it 
•  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  after  the  fall  of  Richmond. 

Colonel  Harrison's  military  service  was  as  'earnest  and  active 
as  had  been  his  strife  with  poverty  and  fame,  and  in  every  place. 


PRESIDENTS —  HARRISON. 


109 


aniDiig  the  many  trying  scenes  through  which  he  passed,  he 
proved  himself  the  true  soldier,  commander,  man.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home  a  brevet  Brigadier-General. 
General  Harrison  now  resumed  his  law  practice  which  soon 
became  very  extensive.  He  espoused  the  cause  of  Republican- 
ism and  was  a  staunch  supporter  of  President  Grant  in  both  his 
campaigns,  and  also  gave  hearty  assistance  in  the  election  of 
President  Garfield,  who  offered  him  a  cabinet  portfolio,  but  this 
Harrison  declined,  to  occupy  a  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate, 
where  he  served  with  conspicuous  ability  for  six  years.  In  1888 
he  was  elected  President  of  the  United  States  and  inaugu- 
rated March  4,  1889.  His  administration  was  an  able  and 
honest  one,  and  in  1892  he  was  again  nominated  as  the  standard 
bearer  of  his  party,  but  was  defeated  by  Grover  Cleveland.  At 
the  close  of  his  term  of  office  Mr.  Harrison  retired  to  his  home 
at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  where  he  now  resides  loved  and 
respected  by  all  who  know  him. 


SoGieties. 


^mMtt  ra^- 


GRAND   ARMY   OF  THE   REPUBLIC. 

■E,  as  a  Nation,  still  continue  to  mark 
periods  of  time  as  antedating  or  follow- 
ing that  historic  struggle  known  as  the 
"War  of  the  Rebellion"  or  the  "Civil 
War;"  and  yet  so  many  years  have  in- 
tervened that  there  is  now  less  distinct- 
ness in  the  outline  of  that  event  which,  for  a  time 
so  completely  separated  the  present  from  the  nearer 
or  more  remote  past.  As  the  years  go  by  "before 
the  war"  is  heard  with  less  and  less  frequency,  and  silver  hairs 
now  crown  the  head  of  him  who  relates  personal  experiences  of 
that  fast  receding  period. 

The  story  of  the  Civil  strife  is  not  unfamiliar  to  the  citizen 
of  to-day.  It  has  been  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  the 
details  of  its  hardships,  its  defeats  and  glorious  achievements, 
have  been  made  the  theme  of  earnest  recital.  It  has  been  written 
on  the  pages  of  history,  and  children  have  traced  with  eager 
fingers  the  battle-plains  made  sacred  by  the  sacrificed  lives  of 
father  and  brother.  It  has  been  pictured  in  realistic  detail,  vividly 
setting  forth  scenes  that  are  already  indelibly  stamped  upon  the 
canvas  of  the  mind. 

The  period  of  the  War  dates  from  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter, 
April  12,  iS6i,  during  which  year  156  engagements  took  place; 
it  may  be  said  to  have  closed  with  the  thrilling  scenes  at  Appo- 
mattox when  General  Lee  surrendered  to  the  Union  forces  011 


SdCic'Ues. 


no 


SOCIETIES  —  C.  A.  R. 


Ill 


April  9,  1865;  duriiijif  the  intervening  years  2,257  engagements 
had  taken  place,  and  tliousands  upon  thousands  of  the  Nation's 
sons  had  fallen  in  battle  or  3'ielded  to  a  tardier  fate.  Four  years 
of  hardships,  of  sacrifices,  of  anxiety;  four  years  of  marching 
to  martial  music,of  scanty  rations, of  "bivouacing"  on  silent  fields; 
four  years  of  listening  for  the  echo  of  that  voice  which  should 
speak  "peace"  to  the  Nation,  but  not  at  the  sacrifice  of  a  single  star 
from  the  "banner  of  the  free; "  this  was  the  period  of  "the  War." 

Is  it  then  to  be  wondered  at  that  such  a  bond  of  sympathy  as 
must  naturally  exist  between  comrades  of  a  common  cause, 
should  seek  perpetuity?  Was  it  not  rather  the  natural  sequence 
of  the  home-coming  that  those  ties  of  fraternity  should  be 
strengthened  and  made  permanent  ? 

The  year  following  the  close  of  the  war,  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  was  organized,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  at  Decatur, 
the  county  seat  of  Macon  County,  Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Stephenson, 
of  Springfield — who  had  served  his  country  as  surgeon  of  the 
Fourteenth  Illinois  Infantr}- — being  the  originator.  After  con- 
ceiving this  project,  a  number  of  weeks  were  spent  in  elaborating 
the  plan,  in  order  that  it  might  meet  the  hearty  co-operation  of 
his  comrades.  The  draft  of  the  ritual  was  finally  entrusted  to 
Capt.  John  S.  Phelps,  of  Decatur,  and  at  the  printing-office  of 
Messrs.  Coltrin  &  Prior  (two  veterans  of  the  War)  it  was  placed 
in  type,  the  employes  obligating  themselves  to  secrecy. 

Comrades  in  Decatur  took  immediate  steps  to  secure  a  char- 
ter, and  although  Springfield  was  actively  working  for  a  similar 
object,  to  the  former  city  belongs  the  credit  of  the  first  organiza- 
tion, Dr.  B.  F.  Stephenson  mustering  Post  No.  i,  on  April 
6, 1866 ;  with  Gen.  Isaac  C.  Pugh,  as  first  Post  Commander.  On 
that  occasion  the  title,  "The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
U.  S."  was  formally  adopted. 

During  the  following  summer  other  Posts  were  organized  in 
Illinois  and  adjoining  States,  much  assistance  being  rendered  Dr. 
Stephenson,  by  Capt.  M.  F.  Kanan,  Adjutant  of  Post  No. 
1;  Gen.  Jules  C.  Webber,  Col.  J.  M.  Snyder,  Maj.  A.  A.  North, 


112 


THK   WHITK  CITY  —  SOCIKTIHS. 


B 


Maj.  R.  M.  Woods,  J.  T.  Bishop  and  John  vS.  Phelps.  Later,  in 
the  Eastern  States,  Philadelphia  took  the  lead  in  the  establish- 
ment of  Posts  No.  I  and  No.  2,  Pittsbnrjj;  following  soon  after. 

The  first  Department  Convention  was  held  at  SpringfKkl, 
Illinois,  Jnly  12,  1S66,  Gen.  John  W.  Palmer  being  elected  first 
Department  Commander.  Resolutions  were  at  this  time  adopted, 
in  recognition  of  the  services  of  Dr.  Stephenson,  and  were  as 
follows : 

"  IF/icrcas^  The  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Rei)ub- 
lic  recognize  in  Maj.  B  F.  Stephenson,  of  Springfield,  Illinois, 
till'  head  and  front  of  this  organization,  be  it  therefore, 

''''Resolved^  That  for  energy,  loyalty  and  perseverance  mani- 
fested in  organizing  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  he  is 
entitled  to  the  gratitude  of  all  loyal  men  ;  and  we,  as  soldiers, 
tender  him  our  thanks,  and  pledge  him  our  friendship  at  all 
times  and  under  all  circumstances." 

The  interest  manifested  in  the  organization  showed  no 
abatement  when  six  months  of  its  existence  had  passed  away. 
It  was  a  child  of  vigorous  growth,  ^md  Lad  been  formally 
adopted  in  many  of  the  States.  At  the  date  of  the  first  National 
Convention,  held  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  November  20,  1.S66, 
Posts  from  the  following  States  were  represented :  Illinois,  Iowa, 
Kentucky,  Kansas,  New  York,  Missouri,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania, 
Wisconsin  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  Gen.  John  W. 
Palmer  presided  at  this  assembly,  and  Gen.  Stephen  A.  Hurlbut, 
of  Illinois,  was  elected  Commander-in-Chief. 

Briefly  stated,  the  Objects  of  the  Order  are  comprehended  in 
the  following  regulations : 

First. — To  preser.'e  and  strengthen  those  kind  and  frater- 
nal feelings  which  bind  together  the  soldiers,  sailors  and  mariners 
who  united  to  suppress  the  late  Rebellion,  and  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  and  history  of  the  dead.  -.-=-'--,-----—> 

Second. — To  assist  such  lormer  comrades  in  arms  as  need 
help  and  protection,  and  to  extend  neeedful  aid  to  the  wic'ows 
and  orphans  of  those  who  have  fallen. 


SOCIKTIHS  —  c;.  A.   R. 


"3 


Third. — T(»  maintaiti  true  allegiance  to  the  United  States  of 
America,  based  npon  a  jiaranioiint  respect  for,  and  fidelity  to,  its 
Coiistitntion  and  laws;  to  disconntenance  whatever  tends  to 
weaken  loyalty,  incites  to  iiisum-ction,  f reason  or  rrhr/lioii  or  in 
any  manner  impairs  the  efficiency  and  permanency  of  our  free 
institutions;  and  to  encourage  the  spread  of  universal  libertj', 
equal  rights  and  justice  to  all  men. 

A  preamble,  twenty-three  articles,  and  a  ritual  originally 
constituted  the  "rules  and  regulations"  of  the  Order.  These 
have  been  changed  from  time  to  time  in  compliance  with  the 
necessities  of  the  organization,  although  its  spirit  has  been  faith- 
fully maintained — qualifications  for  membership  being  service  in 
the  Civil  War,  included  between  the  dates,  April  12,  1861,  and 
April  29,  1865,  and  an  honorable  discharge  therefrom,  at  the 
close  of  such  service ;  while  it  debars  from  membership  any  per- 
son "who  has  at  any  time  borne  arms  against  the  United  States." 

Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia,  was  the  scene  of  the  sec- 
ond National  Encampment,  which  was  held  on  January  15, 
1S68,  and  was  a  distinctively  important  occasion  in  the  history  of 
the  organization.  Twenty-one  departments  were  here  repre- 
sented, and  its  National  scope  proven  beyond  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt;  while  a  comparison  of  views  of  delegates  from  the  sev- 
eral localities  aided  in  strengthening  the  Order.  Headquarters 
of  the  Grand  Army  was  at  this  time  established  at  Washington 
City,  and  a  resolution  also  adopted  in  reference  to  the  title  bj' 
which  members  shou^ '  be  addressed,  when  in  attendance  npon 
Post  meetings  or  in  ofricial  reports — the  appelation  "Comrade" 
being  selected,  with  the  exception  of  officers,  to  whom  were 
accorded  their  Grand  Army  titles. 

Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  of  Illinois,  was  elected  Commander-in- 
Chief,  and,  owing  to  superior  qualifications  as  an  organizer,  as 
well  as  zeal  and  earnestness  in  a  cause  so  dear  to  his  heart, 
carried  into  execution  such  regulations  as  proved  of  lasting 
benefit  to  the  Grand  Army.  His  order  "Number  11,"  issued, 
May  5,  1868,  was  characteristic   of  the   patriotic   spirit  which 


^'  Wi'^ 


■imm 

Skw 


114 


THK  WHITK  C^TY  —  SOCIKTIKS. 


animated  this  noble  citizen  and  soldier,  in  desipnatinjj:  tlic 
thirtieth  day  of  May,  1868,  for  strewing  flowers  and  otherwise 
decorating  the  jj^raves  of  comrades  who  died  in  defense  of  the 
Nation  dnrinj^--  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

The  third  National  Encampment  was  held  at  Cincinnati, 
May  12,  1869,  and  (Jeneral  Loji^an  re-elected  Commander-in- 
Chief.  Some  serions  complications  had  arisen,  owinj^  to  inis- 
nnderstandinji:  of  the  natnre  of  tlie  Order,  some  regarding'  it  as 
a  "  Secret  political  parij,"  and  steps  were  taken  at  this  meeting 
to  dissipate  this  illusion.  A  new  plan  of  "ranking"  the  nieni- 
bers  was  adopted,  bnt,  proving  nnsatisfactory,  was  abandoned 
after  a  two  years'  trial. 

The  fonrtli  National  Encampment  convened  at  Washington 
City,  on  May  11,  1870,  and  re-elected  General  Logan  as  Com- 
mander-in-Chief. One  of  the  important  matters  of  business 
transacted  at  this  meeting  was  the  amendment  of  rules  gov- 
erning the  design  of  a  membership  badge,  which  had  been 
selected  at  a  special  session  October  27,  1869,  at  New  York  City. 
The  Convention  also  adopted  an  Article,  as  a  part  of  its  regula- 
tions, establishing  May  30th  as  the  day  to  be  set  apart  for 
annually  commemorating  the  deeds  of  fallen  heroes  of  the  War. 

Boston  was  selected  as  the  rendezvous  for  the  fifth  annual 
Encampment,  commencing  May  10,  1871,  and  Gen.  Ambrose  E. 
Burnside,  of  Rhode  Island,  was  chosen  Commander-in-Chief, 
and  re-elected  at  the  sixth  Encampment,  held  at  Cleveland,  Ma}' 
8,  1872. 

It  would  be  a  pleasure  to  follow  these  National  gatherings, 
and  note  the  growth  of  the  organization  from  year  to  year,  but 
space  forl^ids  more  than  a  mention  of  the  simplest  data  .onnected 
therewith. 

At  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  the  seventh  Encampment  was 
held  on  May  14,  1873,  and  Gen.  Charles  Devens,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, elected  to  the  chief  office  of  the  Order,  who  succeeded 
himself  at  the  eight  Encampment  convening  at  Harris1)urg, 
Pennsylvania,  the  following  year. 


SOCIKTII'S—  C.  A.   K. 


"5 


The  ninth,  tenth,  eleventh  and  twelfth  Encampments  were 
lu-ld  respectively  :it  Chicax",  <>n  Miiy  I2,  1H75;  Philadclpiiia, 
June  30,  1876;  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  June  26,  1.S77;  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts,  June  4,  1S7.S;  (^en.  John  I'.  Hartranft  of 
Pennsylvania,  holdiuj^  the  office  of  Coniander-in-Chief  durinjf  the 
years  1S75  and  1S76,  to  be  succeeded  by  Gen.  John  C.  Robinson, 
of  New  York,  for  the  two  following  3-ears. 

The  organization  known  as  The  Grand  Army  of  the  Repnl)- 
lic  hf'.d  long  since  grown  to  important  proportions,  and  all  the 
cities  honored  by  the  National  Kncampments,  were  now  vieing 
with  each  other  to  do  honor  to  the  asseiubly.  Albau}-,  New  York, 
entertained  the  thirteenth  Encampment,  June  17,  1S79,  which 
elected  William  Earnshaw,  Commander-in-Chief.  He  was  sue- 
cee.led  June  8,  1880,  by  Gen.  Louis  Wagner,  who  was  the  choice 
of  the  fourteenth  Encampment,  which  convened  a*-  Dayton,  Ohio; 
he,  in  turn,  being  followed  by  Maj.  George  S.  Merrill,  of  Massa- 
chusetls,  who  was  elected  Commander-in-Chief  by  the  fifteenth 
Encampment,  held  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  June  15,  1881. 

When  Baltimore,  Marjdand,  invited  the  Comrades  to  the  hos- 
pitalities of  her  beautiful  city, -on  June  16,  1882,  President  Arthur 
and  General  Sherman  reviewed  the  procession.  Paul  Van  Der 
Voort  was  elected  Commander-in-Chief;  and  at  this  meeting  was 
inaugurated  a  movement  toward  the  organization  of  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps. 

On  July  23,  1883,  Denver  extended  a  hearty  welcome  to  the 
veterans,  the  Legislature  having  appropriated  $21,000  toward 
their  entertainment,  which  was  largely  augmented  by  pri- 
vate contributions.  A  camp  to  accommodate  15,000  men  was 
provided,  while  numerous  excursions  to  places  of  note  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  city  afforded  a  treat  of  the  most  enjoyable  charac- 
ter. At  this  encampment.  Col.  Robert  B.  Beath,  of  Pennsylvania, 
was  elected  Commander-in-Chief,  and  the  organization  of  the 
Woman's  Relief  Corps — auxiliar}-  to  the  G.  A.  R. —  completed. 

The  following  year,  on  July  23,  1884,  Minneapolis  enter- 
tained the  delegates   with   free-handed  hospitality,  and  John  S. 


ii6 


THE   WHITE   CITY  —  SOCIETIES. 


Koiintz,  of  Ohio,  was  elected  Commander-in-Chief.  At  this 
meeting,  the  total  membership  of  the  organization  was  shown  to 
be  253,895,  with  Posts,  to  date,  4,325. 

On  June  24,  1S85,  Portland,  Maine,  welcomed  the  comrades, 
the  State  appropriating  $10,000,  the  city,  $5,000  and  citi:<ens  con- 
tributing $5,000  more,"  to  entertain  the  honored  guests.  Over 
30,000  veterans  were  present  and  the  occasion  was  made  memor- 
able by  marked  features  of  the  parade,  among  them  bein^^  a 
throng  of  more  than  a  thousand  little  children,  whose  voices 
blended  in  song  as  the  comrades  proceeded  on  their  way. 
Samuel  S.  Burdett,  of  Washington  City,  was  elected  Coiiunan- 
der-in-Chief.  , 

San  F-ancisco,  California,  next  became  the  hostess  of  the 
Grand  Arm}',  which  partook  of  her  generous  hospitality,  begin- 
ning August  4,  1886.  Here  entertainer  and  entertained  entered 
into  the  enjoyment  of  the  occasion  with  sincere  good-feeling,  and 
when  the  adieus  were  spoken,  a  wave  of  sadness  mingled  with 
the  heartiness  of  the  "God  bless  you  all."  The  city  was  dressed 
in  gala  attire.  Flowers,  flags  and  sumptuous  decorations  of 
every  kind  greeted  the  "boys  in  blue."  The  procession  of 
August  3d,  was  one  not  soon  to  be  forgotten,  while  the  reception 
at  the  Mechanic's  Pavilion,  during  the  evening  of  the  same  day, 
was  marked  by  enthusiastic  demanstrt;tions  from  both  citizens 
and  guests,  which  reached  its  climax  at  the  appearance  of  such 
honored  veterans  of  the  War  as  Generals  Logan  and  Shernian. 
Ex-Gov.  Lucius  Fairchild  was  declared  the  choice  of  the  Grand 
Army  for  the  office  of  Commander-in-Chief. 

The  Twenty-first  National  Encampment  convened  at  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  September  28,  1887,  and  transacted  business  of 
much  importance  to  the  Order.  The  Adj  utant-General  reported 
membership  in  good  standing  on  Marc  i  31,  1887,  320,946;  net 
gain  of  Posts  during  the  year,  540;  amount  dispensed  for  charity 
by  Posts,  $253,934.43.  The  encampment  unanimously  adopts'. 
resolutions  of  respect,  deploring  the  death  of  their  former 
comrade,  leader  and  Commander-in  Chief,  Maj.  Gen.  John  A. 


SOCIETIES  —  G.  A.  R. 


117 


At  this 
.s  shown  to 

;  comrades, 
litixenscon- 
ssts.  Over 
ade  uieinor- 
;m  beiiiij;  a 
hose  voices 
their  way. 
d  Coiiijiian- 

stess  of  the 
ality,  begin- 
ined  entered 
-feeling,  and 
lingled  with 
'  was  dressed 
corations  of 
rocession  of 

le  reception 
le  same  day, 
Doth  citizens 
mce  of  such 

d  Sherman. 

f  the  Grand 

vened  at  St. 
1  bnsiness  of 
eral  reported 
320,946;  net 
d  for  charity 
iisly  adopts '. 
their  former 
en.  John  A. 


Logan,  which  was  one  of  the  sad  events  of  the  year,  and  plans 
were  discussed  and  resolutions  adopted  for  a  monument  to  be 
erected  to  his  memory  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

The  entertainment  provided  for  the  Grand  Army,  at  this 
assembly,  was  one  of  unsurpassed  liberality ,  and  the  illumina- 
tions, decorations,  etc.,  were  on  a  scale  of  magnificence  never 
before  approached,  $100,000  being  contributed  by  the  business 
men  of  the  city  for  the  purpose.  For  the  most  part  the  excur- 
sions planned  for  this  occasion  were  abandoned,  owing  to  unusu- 
ally unfavorable  weather,  but  Lincoln's  tomb,  at  Springfield,  was 
visited,  and  banquets  and  other  entertainments  were  made  mem- 
orable features  of  the  evenr.  John  P.  Rea,  of  Minneapolis,  Min- 
nesota, was  elected  Connnander-in-Chief  for  the  ensuing  year, 
and  Columbus,  Ohio,  chosen  as  the  rendezvous  for  the  Twenty- 
second  National  Encampment.  :  :. 

This  meeting  occurred  on  September  12,  1888,  and  the 
Departments  were  represented  in  great  numbers.  The  parade 
was  by  far  the  largest  which  had  been  witnessed  since  the  Grand 
Review  at  Washington,  in  1865,  occupying  nearl}^  five  hours  in  ■ 
passing  a  given  point,  and  was  witnessed  by  General  Sherman, 
Ex-President  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  and  other  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Maj.  William  War- 
ner, of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  was  elected  Commander-in-Chief, 
by  a  unanimous  vote,  and  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  selected  for  the 
National  Encampment  of  1889.  Here  the  "boys  in  blue"  were 
royally  entertained  by  the  citizens,  as  well  as  comrades.  Every 
possible  attention  was  lavished  upon  the  visitors  and  the  event 
was  a  most  memorable  one  among  the  yearly  gatherings  of  the 
Order.  Gen.  Russell  A.  Alger,  of  Michigan,  was  elected  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, and  Boston,  Massachusetts,  chosen  for  the 
Twenty-fourth  Encampment. 

On  August  13,  1890,  the  Massachusetts  veterans  welcomed 
their  comrades  to  the  hospitalities  of  Boston,  and  nothing  was 
lacking  in  cordiality  or  attention  to  the  comfort  and  pleasure  of 
their  guests.     Col.  Wheelock  G.  Veazey,  of  Rutland,  Vermont, 


ii|i 


ii8 


THK   WHITp;   CITY  —  SOCIETIES. 


was  chosen  Commander-in-Chief,  and  Detroit,  Alichigan,  selected 
as  the  meeting  place  of  the  Twenty-fifth  National  Encampment. 
To  this  beautifnl  city  the  veterans  repaired  in  August,  1891, 
and  enjoyed  a  most  harmonious  reunion,  interspersed  with 
excursions  and  other  attentions  which  were  thoroughly  appreci- 
ated. John  Palmer,  of  Albany,  New  York,  was  elected  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, and  Washington,  D.  C,  selected  for  the 
Twenty-sixth  National  Encampment,  which  convened  Septem- 
ber zi,  1892.  The  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
in  good  standing,  as  reported  at  this  assembly,  up  to  December 
31,  1891,  were  407,781;  iinmber  of  Posts  at  rame  date,  7,568; 
amount  expended  in  f.':un  .,  as  reported,  from  July  i,  1871  to 
December  31,  1891,  $2,317,715.38,  although  these  figures  are 
regarded  as  far  short  of  the  actual  assistance  rendered. 

The  parade  of  September  20th,  was  one  of  unusual  magni- 
tude, but  every  effort  was  made  to  relieve  the  veterans  of  all 
possible  fatigue,  while  the  entire  occasion  was  regarded  as  a  most 
memorable  one  to  all  who  partook  of  the  hospitality  of  the 
Nation's  Capital. 

Of  the  officers  whom  we  have  mentioned  as  Past  Commanders- 
in-Chief  of  the  National  Encampment,  several  have  responded 
to  th<i  "final  summons."  They  ..  ■  B.  F.  Stephenson,  died 
August  30,  1871;  S.  A.  Hurlbu  .  ...rch  27,  1882;  John  A. 
Logan,  December  26,  1886;  Ambm  '.  J,  Buruside,  September 
13,  1881;  Charles  Devens,  January  7,  ic.91 ;  John  F.  Hartranft, 
October  17,  1889;  and  William  Earnshaw,  July  17,  1885. 

woman'vS  relief  corps. 

The  first  organization  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  was 
formed  in  1869,  at  Portland,  A^aine,  and  was  entitled  the  Bos- 
worth    Relief  Corps,   Auxiliary    to    Bosworth    Post.     The    first 

State  organization  was  perfected  at  Fitchburg,  Massachusetts,  iu 
April,  1879.         ■■  ,-  -^^-,..--,  ,.,-^.-.^.-     _ 

In  1 88 1,  the  National  Encampment  adopted  a  resolution, 
approving  the  work  of  the  W'oman's  Relief  Corps,  and  antlior- 


SOCIETIES — women's   RELIEF   CORPS. 


119 


iziiig  it  to  add  to  its  title  "  Auxiliary  to  the  Grand  Armj'  of  the 
Republic."  In  1883,  all  the  Auxiliaries  were  invited  to  send 
representatives  to  Denver,  whic'i  invitation  was  accepted,  and  the 
work  accomplished  by  the  Order  was  approved  by  the  National 
Eucampnient,  which  adopted  the  following  resolution: 

^' Rcwlvcd^  That  we  cordially  hail  the  organization  of  the 
Woman's  Relief  Corps  and  extend  our  greeting  to  them.  We 
return  our  warmest  thanks  to  the  loyal  women  of  the  land  for 
tli'^ir  earnest  work,  support  and  encouragement,  and  bid  them 
God  speed  in  their  patriotic  work." 

The  plan  of  organization  of  the  Grand  Army  was  followed 
in  constituting  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps.  Local  associations 
were  designated  Corps  ;  State  associations  were  called  Depart- 
ments; and  th^  National  Organization  entitled  the  "National 
Convention,  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  Auxiliary  to  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic." 

The  objects  of  this  Order  are: 

''To  specially  aid  and  assist  the  Grand  Arm}'  of  the  Repub- 
lic and  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  their  heroic  dead.  To 
assist  such  Union  veterans  as  need  our  help  and  protection,  and 
to  extend  needful  aid  to  their  widows  aird  orphans.  To  find 
them  homes  and  emplo3anent,  and  assure  them  of  sympathy  and 
friends.  To  cherish  and  emulate  the  deeds  of  our  army  nurses, 
and  of  all  loyal  women  who  rendered  loving  service  to  their 
country  in  Ker  hour  of  peril.  To  inculcate  lessons  of  patriotism 
and  love  of  country  among  our  children,  and  in  tht  communities 
in  which  we  live.  To  maintain  true  allegiance  to  the  United 
States  of  America.  To  discoutenance  whatever  tends  to  weaken 
loyalty  and  to  encourage  the  spread  of  universal  libert}-  and 
equal  rights  to  all  men."  . 

The  growth  of  thii'  organization  has  been  remarkable,  ar^d 
the  work  accomplished,  something  phenomenal.  Though  a  silent 
inin.ster,  unheralded  by  the  sound  of  trumpets,  its  benefactions 
have  been  wide-spread,  reaching  where  its  co-laborer,  the  Grand 


I  ' 


1 20 


THE  WHITE  CITY  —  SOCIETIES. 


Army  of  the  Republic,  might  often  have  failed  to  accomplish 
desired  results. 

All  honor  to  the  noble  women  whose  names  are  enrolled 
upon  the  Roster  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps. 

THE  SONS  OF  VETERANS  OK  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA. 

This  Order  dates  from  the  year  1878,  and  to  Post  No.  94, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Philadelphia,  belongs  the  honor 
of  taking  initiatory  steps  in  its  organization;  the  records  of 
August  27,  1878,  showing  that  "on  motion  of  Com.  James  P. 
Holt,  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to  devise  means  of  form- 
ing a  G.  A.  R.  Cadet  Corps,  to  be  attached  to  that  Post." 

On  September  29,  1878,  Anna  M.  Ross,  Corps  Number  i, 
of  Philadelphia,  Order  uf  Sons  of  Veterans,  was  organized. 
Later,  other  Posts  of  the  State  followed,  and  the  Order  spread 
into  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Delaware.  Maj.  A.  P.  Davis,  of 
Pittsburgh,  formed  an  organization  in  that  city,  November  12, 
1881,  giving  it  the  title  of  "  SoiiS  of  Veterans  of  the  United 
States  of  America."  He  prepared  a  Constitution,  Rules  and 
Ritual,  and  arranged  for  local  and  State  Associations  and  a 
National  organization.  Permanent  organization  for  Pennsyl- 
vania was  effected  February  23,  1882. 

This  Order  has  been  one  of  rapid  growth  and  numbers  over 
sixty  thousand  niembers,  with  Camps  in  nearly  all  the  States  and 
Territories. 

The  objects  of  the  Order  are  as  follows: 

"To  keep  green  the  memories  of  our  fathers  and  their  sacri- 
fices for  the  maintenance  of  the  Union, 

"To  aid  the  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in 
caring  for  their  helpless  and  disabled  veterans ;  to  extend  aid  and 
protection  to  the  widows  and  orphans ;  to  perpetuate  the  memory 
and  history  of  their  heroic  dead,  and  the  proper  observation  of 
Memorial  Day.     ^^       .^ .  _  .  ;.     _ 

"To  aid  and  assist  worthy  and  needy  members  of  the  Order. 

"To  inculcate  patriotism  and  love  of  country,  not  alone  among 


SOCIETIES — SONS   OF  VETERANS. 


121 


our  membership,  but  among  all  the  people  of  our  land,  and  to 
spread  and  sustain  the  doctrine  of  equal  rights,  universal  libert}' 
and  justice  to  all." 

The  Order  consists  of:  Local  organizations,  called  Camps; 
State  organizations, known  as  Divisions;  the  National  Organiza- 
tion, called  the  Commandery-in-Chief.  It  is  military  in  character 
and  work,  and  officered  according  to  army  regulations, — Camps 
corresponding  with  companies.  Divisions  with  regiments  and  the 
Commanderj^-in-Chief  with  the  army. 

The  Twenty-second  National  Encampment  passed  the  follow- 
ing resolutions : 

^^ Resolved^  That  this  Encampment  endorses  the  objects  and 
purposes  of  the  Order  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  U.  3.  A.,  and 
hereby  gives  to  the  Order  the  official  recognition  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  recommends  that  it  aid  and  encour- 
age the  institution  of  Camps  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  U.  S.  A." 
THE   DAUGHTERS   OF  '7ETERANS. 

The  organization  known  as  the  Daughters  of  Veterans 
stands  in  the  same  relation  to  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  as  the 
Sons  of  Veterans  does  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  It 
is  a  flourishing  Order,  composed  of  noble  young  women,  wfio 
woulc^keep  alive  the  fires  of  patriotism  that  burned  so  brightly 
in  the  breasts  of  their  honored  fathers  and  brothers,  realizing- 
that  in  the  home  are  inculcated  those  principles  which  make  the 
heroes  and  martyrs  of  the  world.  May  their  camp  fires  never 
burn  less  brightly  than  now.* 


YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION. 

The  origin  of  the  present  movement  dates  back  to  1841 
when  George  Williams,  a  young  apprentice  of  Bridgwater,  Eng- 
land, removed  to  London,  and  entered  the  dry  goods  establish- 
ment of  Hitchcock  &  Co.,  St.  Paul's  Church-yard,  as  junior 
assistant.  »'  •   - 

A  few  fellow  clerks,  who  were  likewise  zealous  in  the  cause 


I^^Ha 

■ 

»■ 

taa 


the;  white  city — societies. 


of  Christ,  here  gathered,  when  the  day  was  over,  ii>.  one  of  the 
sleeping  apartments  with  which  business  houses  were  provided  in 
those  daj's  for  the  accommodation  of  their  employes,  and  lield 
meetings  for  Bible  study  and  prayer.  One  by  one  their  indiffer- 
ent and,  in  many  cases,  profligate  comrades  were  induced  to  join 
them  in  these  meetings,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  necessity 
arose  for  larger  quarters  to  accommodate  the  many  who  desired 
to  be  present.  ■ 

It  was  with  some  trepidation  that  the  young  men  appealed 
to  their  principal — whose  acquiescence  was  needed  in  order  to 
secure  a  quiet  and  more  commodious  location —but  the  improve- 
ment was  already  so  apparent  to  the  employer,  that  he  not  only 
extended  his  sympathy  with  the  movement  and  provided  the 
desired  apartment,  but  from  that  time  inaugurated  reforms  in  his 
establishment  looking  to  the  highest  welfare  as  well  as  the  per- 
sonal comfort  of    his  employes. 

On  June  6,  1844,  it  was  decided  to  organize  a  *' Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,"  the  object  contemplated  being  "to 
improve  the  spiritual  condition  of  young  men  engaged  in  the 
d'/apery  and  other  trades."  In  1845  T.  H.  Tarleton  was  em- 
pldj'ed  as  secretary  and  missionary  of  the  Society,  and  in  1851 
Wm.  Edwyn  Shipton  was  chosen  corresponding  secretary,  who, 
during  his  service  of  twenty-eight  years,  was  able  to  greatly  aid 
the  cause  both  in  Europe  and  America.  Mr.  Williams  was  made 
President  of  the  London  Association,  in  1885,  on  the  death  of 
the  Earl  of  Shaftsbury. 

An  attempt  was  made  in  1849  ^'^  carry  out  the  plans  of 
the  London  Association,  at  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  but  the  first 
organization  on  the  London  basis  was  effected  at  Montreal, 
December  9,  1851,  and  the  first  in  the  United  States  was  organ- 
ized on  December  29th  of  the  same  year.  During  the  next  two 
years,  twenty-six  Societies  had  been  formed,  and  to  Wni. 
Chauncey  Langdon,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  is  due  much  credit 
for  bringing  into  existence  a  general  organization,  the  first  As- 
sociation of  all  lands  convening  at  Paris,  August  19-24,  1855. 


SOCIKTIES- 


■Y.  M.  C.  A. 


123 


The  first  international  conference  of  the  Association  was 
held  at  Bnfialo,  New  YorV,  June  7,  1854,  and  j-earl}-  niectinti^s 
followed  thereafter  until  1861,  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War, 
atndiich  time  203  Associations  were  in  existence  in  America. 

The  New  York  Association  took  tlie  initiatory  in  the  work  of 
relief  at  this  trying  period,  and,  in  October  1861,  called  a  Con- 
vention of  the  Associations  of  the  North,  which  met  November 
14th  and  formed  the  United  States  Christian  Commission,  which 
co-operated  with  the  Sanitary  Commission,  and,  during  the  years 
of  the  War,  sent  about  5,000  Christian  men  and  women  as  help- 
ers, and  distributed  nearly  $3,000,000  of  store  and  $2,500,000  in 
money  to  those  in  need  of  assistance;  while  the  Associations  in 
the  South  also  did  good  service  among  the  Confederate  soldiers, 
although  not  generally  organized.  At  the  close  of  the  War, 
home  work  was  resum^^d,  yearly  conventions  being  held  in  the 
larger  cities  of  the  Union. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  loyal  to  the 
Church,  though  entirely  unrestricted  by  denominational  lines, 
and  is  a  power  for  good  which  is  everywhere  recognized,  its 
benefits  being  felt  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 


I': 


t 


WOMAN'S   CHRISTIAN   TEMPERANCE   UNION. 

The  officers  of  the  National  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union  are:  President,  Frances  E.  W^illard,  Evanston,  Illinois; 
Corresponding  Secretary,  Caroline  Buell,  Woman's  Christian 
Union  Temple,  Chicago,  Illinois;  Recording  Secretary,  Mar}'  A. 
Woodbridge,  Ravenna,  Ohio;  Treasurer,  Esther  Pugh,  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union  Temple,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Officers  of  the  World's  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union:  President,  Frances  E.  Willard,  Evanston,  Illinois;  Vice- 
President-at-Large,  Lady  Henry  Somerset,  London,  England; 
Secretiry,  Mary  A.  Woodbridge,  Ravenna,  Ohio;  Assistant  Sec- 
retary, Anna  A.  Gordon,  Evanston,  Illinois. 

The  object  of  the  organization  is  to  unify  throughout  the 


til 
[■i 


124 


THE  WIIITK  CITY  —  SOCIETIKS. 


•Bi|i!i 


world  the  work  of  women  in  temperance  and  social  reform,  and 
to  circnlato  a  petition  addressed  to  all  the  Governments  of  the 
world  for  the  overthrow  of  the  alcohol  and  opium  trades.  Its 
methods  are  Preventive,  Educational,  Evangelistic,  Social  and 
Legal.  Time  of  prayer :  Noontide.  Badge :  A  knot  of  white 
ribbon.  Watchwords:  Aguatc!  Organize!  Motto :  For  God  and 
Home  and  Every  Land. 

The  National  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  was 
organized  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1874,  and  is  the  sober  second 
thought  of  the  great  Women's  Crusade.  It  is  now  regularly 
organized  in  the  forty-four  States  of  the  Union  and  in  every 
Territory  except  Alaska.  Its  headquarters  are  in  Chicago,  where 
it  has  a  Woman's  Temperance  Publishing  House  that  sends  out 
about  135,000,000  pages  annually,  and  has  seven  editors  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  employes.  This  publishing  house  is  a  stock 
company  and  all  its  directors  and  stock-holders  are  women,  as  is 
its  business  manager.  The  Union  Signal  is  the  organ  of  the 
Society  and  has  an  average  circulation  of  So,ooo.  The  cash  re- 
ceipts of  the  publishing  house  in  1891-2  were,,  in  round  numbers, 
$230,000. 

The  Woman's  Lecture  Bureau  sends  speakers  to  all  parts 
of  this  country  and  Canada.  The  Woman's  National  Temper- 
ance Hospital  demouotrates  the  value  of  non-alcoholic  medication. 
The  Woman's  Temperance  Temple,  costing  over  $1,000,000,  has 
been  built  in  Chicago. 

There  are  about  10,000  local  unions  with  a  membership  and 
following,  including  the  Children's  Societies,  of  about  half  a  mil- 
lion. The  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  has  forty-four 
distinct  departments  of  work  presided  over  by  as  many  women 
experts  in  the  National  Society,  and  in  nearly  every  State.  All 
the  States  in  the  Republic,  except  eight,  have  laws  requiring  the 
study  of  scientific  temperance  in  the  public  schools,  and  all  diese 
laws  were  secured  by  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union; 
also  the  laws  forbidding  the  sale  of  tobacco  to  minors.  Most  of 
the  Industrial  Homes  for  Girls,  established  in  the  various  States, 


•eform,  and 
Mits  of  the 
Hides.  Its 
Social  and 
)t  of  wliite 
or  God  and 

Union  was 
ber  second 
■  regularly 
d  in  every 
:ago,  wlicre 
t  sends  ont 
ors  and  one 
:  is  a  stock 
)men,  as  is 
gan  of  the 
he  cash  re- 
d  numbers, 

;o  all  parts 
al  Temper- 
medication. 
00,000,  has 

jership  and 
half  a  mil- 
,s  forty-fonr 
any  women 
State.  All 
quiring  tlie 
id  all  diese 
nee  Union ; 
s.  Most,  of 
ious  States, 


*i 


FKA.VCKS  K.  WILLAKD. 


;1)ilH 


S()cii;tiI';s  —  w.  c.  t.  u. 


"5 


were  secured  throujj;!!  the  efforts  of  this  society,  as  were  the 
Refuges  for  Erring  Women.  Laws  raising  the  age  of  consent 
and  providing  for  better  protection  for  wonier.  and  girls  have 
been  enacted  by  many  legishitures  through  the  influence  of  the 
Department  for  the  Promotion  of  vSocial  Purity,  of  which  the 
president  of  the  society  has,  until  the  present  year,  been  super- 
intendent. ' 

The  World's  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  was 
founded  through  the  influence  of  the  Natior.al  Society  in  1883, 
and  already  has  auxiliaries  in  more  than  forty  countries  and 
provinces.  The  White  Ribbon  is  the  badge  of  all  the  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union  riembers  and  is  now  a  familiar  em- 
blem in  every  civilized  country.  A  great  petition  is  being  cir- 
culated in  all  parts  of  the  world  against  legalizing  the  sale  of 
opium  and  alcoholics.  When  two  millions  of  names  have 
been  secured  this  petition  is  to  be  presented  to  all  the  Govern- 
ments of  the  world  by  a  committee  of  women  appointed  for  that 
purpose. 

FRANCEvS    K.    WILLARD. 

Miss  Fn.nces  E.  Willard,  founder,  and  fo*-  five  years  presi- 
dent, of  theWvorld's  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  and 
now  for  thirteen  years  president  of  the  National  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union,  was  born  September  28,  1839,  at 
Churchville,  New  York.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Northwestern 
University  of  Chicago.  She  took  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Syra- 
cuse University.  In  1862  she  was  professor  of  natural  science 
in  the  Northwestern  Female  College,  Evanston,  Illinois;  1864, 
professor  of  Belles-lettres  in  Pittsburgh  Female  College;  1866-7, 
she  was  preceptress  of  the  Wesleyan  Seminary,  Lima,  New  York; 
1868-70,  she  traveled  abroad,  studying  French,  German,  Italian 
and  the  history  of  the  fine  arts — visited  nearly  every  European 
Capital,  and  went  to  Greece,  Egypt  and  Palestine;  in  1871  she 
was  president  of  the  Woman's  College  of  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity, and  professor  of  aesthetics;  in  1874,  Corresponding  Secre- 


126 


THK    WIIITI-;    CITV  —  SOCIHTII'S. 


tary  of  the  National  Wor. all's  Christian  Temperance  Union;  in 
1877  was  associated  with  I).  L.  Moody  in  revival  work  in  Hostoii; 
in  187S,  President  of  the  Illinois  Woman's  Christian  'IVm- 
perance  Union,  and  editor  of  the  Chicai^o  Daily  /hsf  \  in  1.S79 
(and  since),  President  of  the  National  Woman's  Christian 
Temperance  Union. 

Miss  Willard  is  an  anthor  of  considerable  distinction,  and 
has  written  Miany  books ;  is  associate  editor  of  Our  Daw  and 
has,  in  the  past  year,  been  made  editor-in-chief  of  '/'/ir  Union 
Sii^iia/y  the  or^an  of  the  Woman's  Cliristian  Temperance  Union, 


SOCIKTY    OK   CHRISTIAN    ENDEAVOR. 

One  of  the  organizations  connected  with  Christian  denonii- 
nations  which  is  of  coir  -iratively  recent  origin,  bnt  a  power  for 
good  among  the  yoiin  ople  of  the  churches,  is  the  Society  of 

Christian  Endeavor,  winch  dates  from  the  winter  of  1880-81,  and 
followed  a  revival  season  which  visited  the  Willistvni  Chnrcli  of 
Portland,  Elaine,  at  which  time  and  place  a  iinmber  of  young 
people  were  converted  to  Christ. 

The  pastor.  Rev.  Francis  E.  Clark,  together  with  many  of 

the   older   chnrch    members,    realizing   the  necessity  for   great 

wisdom  in  gniding  the  yonng  converts  throngh  the  most  critical 

period  of  their  discipleship,  gave  much  thonght  to  the  snbject  of 

their  spiritnal  welfare  and,  as  an  ontcoiiie  of  these  deliberations, 

the  pastor  invited  the  young  church  members  to  his  home  on 

Febrnar}'  2,  188 1,  and  presented  a  constitution  of  the  "  Williston 

Young  Peoples'  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,"  which  is,  in  all 

essential  points,  the  one  adopted  by  the  majority  of  Societies  of 

the  present  day. 

,^11  article  published  in  a  religious  paper  of  Boston,  in  iS.Si, 

entitled,  "How  one  church  cares  for  its  young  people."  brought 
many  letters  to  the  pastor,  from  Christian  ministers  and  others 
interested  in  the  work.  The  second  society  established  was  in 
Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  and  closely  followed  the  first  organ- 
ization. 


.socii;tii-;s — christian'  icndi'.avok. 


127 


The  first  president  of  the  United  vSc»ciety  wus  Mr.  W.  J. 
Van  Patten,  of  Hnrlinj^ton,  W'rniont,  whose  snj^^estions  and 
phins  for  growth  and  advancement  have  proven  of  great  ben- 
efit to  th(!  organization.  The  first  signatnre  to  the  original 
constitution  was  tluit  of  \V.  H.  Pennell,  a  teacher  of  a  clu.ss  of 
young  men  in  the  Williston  Sunday  school,  and  whose  earnest 
support  has  been  given  to  tiie  cause  from  the  Ix-ginning.  He 
was  chosen,  for  three  successive  years,  president  of  the  National 
Ccmvention. 

Otlier  sources  have  been  credited  with  the  inception  of  the 
organization  known  as  the  Societ}'  of  Christian  Endeavor,  but 
the  distinctive  features,  such  as  the  strict  prayer-meeting  pledge, 
the  consecration  meeting,  roll-call,  duties  of  connnittees,  etc., 
origir  ited  with  the  pastor  of  the  Williston  Church,  and  was  the 
outgrowth  of  the  meeting  of  Feb/uay  2,  18S1. 

The  first  conference  was  held  June  2,  1SS2,  in  Portland, 
Maine,  and  was  one  of  great  enthusiasm.  Six  Societies  were 
represented,  with  a  membership  aggregating  481,  the  Williston 
Society  leading  all  others  with  168  signers  to  the  constitution. 
On  June  7,  1883,  the  conference  again  assembled  at  Portland,  and 
reported  an  organization  of  fift3'-tliree  societies  with  2,630  mem- 
bers. The  next  convention  was  held  at  Lowell,  Massachusetts, 
on  October  22,  1884,  and  151  societies,  of  6,414  members,  were 
represented  by  their  delegates.  On  July  9,  1885,  at  Ocean  Park, 
near  Old  Orchard  Beach,  the  "United  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor" was  founded  and  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Maine. 
Societies,  numbering  253,  with  an  aggregate  membership  of 
14,892,  w-ere  now  established  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States, 
and  several  foreign  Nations  reported  flourishing  organ i'^ations. 
\t  this  meeting,  headquarters  of  the  United  Society  were  located 
in  Boston.  The  Fifth  and  Sixth  Conventions  assembled  at 
Saratoga,  and  at  the  latter,  in  1887,  Rev.  F.  E.  Clark  was  chosen 
president  of  the  United  Society  and  editor  of  Christian  En- 
deavor literature,  resigning  his  pastorate  in  order  to  undertake 
the  duties  of  the.  position. 


128 


THE   WHITK  CITY  —  SOCIETIES. 


The  Seventh  Annual  Convention  was  held  at  Chicago,  July 
5,  1888;  the  Eighth,  at  Phii:)delphia,  July  9,  1889;  the  Ninth, 
at  St.  Louis,  June  12,  1890,  and  the  Tenth  at  Minneapolis,  July 
9,  1 89 1,  at  Avliich  meeting  over  fourteen  thousand  delegates  were 
in  attendance  from  nearh'  every  State  and  Territorj'  in  the 
Union.  The  Convention  of  1892  was  held  in  New  York,  and 
was  a  most  harmonious  and  entl'usiastic  gathering. 

State  Unions  have  become  a  prominent  feature  of  recent 
years,  Connecticut  leading  all  others  in  State  organization. 
The  official  organ  of  the  Societies  is  The  Ctoldcn  Riilc^  a  weekly 
religious  paper,  carefully  edited  and  replete  with  valuable  infor- 
mation. 

At  the  beginning  of  th?  present  year  (1893)  there  were  recor- 
ded 18,500  Societies  of  Christian  Endeavor,  with  1,100,000  mem- 
bers. Thirty  evangelical  denominations  are  represented,  the 
Presb3'terians  leading  with  4,  500  Societies,  the  Congregational- 
ists.  Baptists,  jMethodists  and  Christians  being  next  in  numbers, 
in  the  order  named. 

"Junior  Unions"  are  being  formed  everywhere,  and  their 
organizations  are  earnestl}'  promulgating  the  good  work  anionr 
the  children  of  the  land. 

"Christian  Endeavor  Day,"  February  2d  (or  as  near  that 
date  as  possible),  is  generally  observed, man}'  societies  making  it 
the  occasion  for  replenishing  the  missionary  treasury  by  a  free- 
will offering  to  a  cause  which  is  near  to  the  heart  of  every 
"Christian  Endeavorer." 


THE    EPWORTH    LEAGUE. 

Among  Christian  people  are  a  number  of  organizations, 
some  of  which  have  become  household  words  owing  to  our 
familiarity  with  their  objects  or  the  length  of  time  they  have 
occupied  their  various  fields.  Some  are  general  in  their  nature, 
and  not  encompassed  by  denominational  lines ;  others  are  work- 


SOCIETIKvS—  KI'WORTH    LEAGUK. 


1^9 


int;  in  special  channels,  and,  being  of  comparatively  recent  de- 
velopment, are  possibly  not  as  familiar  to  the  general  public  as 
their  most  worthy  work  deserves. 

Of  these  may  be  mentioned  the  Epworth  League,  which  is 
an  organization  subordinate  to  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  P)piscopal  Church,  and  was  constituted  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  May  15,  18S9.  Its  central  office  is  in  Chicago,  Illinois, 
and  its  General  Officers  are  as  follows:  President,  Bishop  James 
N.  Fitzgerald,  New  Orleans,  Louisiana ;  First  \'ice-President, 
Willis  \V.  Cooper,  St.  Joseph,  Michigan  ;  Second  \'ice-President, 
Rev.  W.  I.  Haven,  Boston,  Massachusetts;  Third  Vice-Presi- 
dent, R.  R.  Doherty,  Ph.  D.,  New  York  City,  New  York; 
Fourth  Vice-President,  Rev.  H.  C.  Jennings,  Red  Wing,  Minne- 
sota ;  Corresponding  Secretar}',  Rev.  Edwin  A.  Schell,  Chicago ; 
Treasurer,  Chas.  E.  Piper,  Chicago ;  German  Assistant  Secretary, 
Rev.  Henry  Leibhart,  D.  D.;  Editor  Epivorth  Herald ^  Rev.  F. 
Berry,  D.  D. 

The  object  of  this  organization  is  "to  promote  intelligent 
and  vital  piety  among  the  3- oung  people  of  our  churches  and  con- 
gregations, and  to  train  them  in  works  c{  merc}^  and  help." 
Tlie  State  Leagues  are  composed  of  Local  Chapters,  their  officers 
corresponding  with  those  of  the  General  League.  The  work  of 
the  Chapters  is  distributed  under  Departments  of  Spiritual 
Work,  Mercy  and  Help,  Literary  Work,  Social  Work,  Corres- 
Dondence  and  Finance. 

The  League  Covenant  to  which  its  members  subscribe  is  as 
follows  : 

"  I  will  earnesth''  seek  for  myself  and  do  what  I  can  to  help 
others  attain  the  highest  New  Testament  standard  of  experience 
and  life.  I  will  abstain  from  all  those  forms  of  worldly  amuse- 
ment forbidden  by  the  Discipline  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chnrch.  I  M'ill  attend,  so  far  as  possible,  the  religious  meetings 
of  the  Chapter  and  the  Church,  and  take  some  active  part  in 
them." 

Since  the  organization  of  this  Society,  its  membership  has 


I30 


THE  WHITI-;  CITY  —  SUCIKTIKS. 


grown  with  wonderful  rapidity.  Each  Chapter  is  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  Quarterly  Conference  and  Pastor,  whose  duty  it  shall 
be  "to  organize,  if  possible,  and  to  maintain,  if  practical)]c, 
Chapters  of  the  Kpworth  League."  The  President  of  a  Chapter 
must  be  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  shall 
be  elected  bj-  the  Chapter  and  confirmed  by  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference, of  which  body  he  then  becomes  a  member.  Members 
are  constituted  by  election  of  the  Chapter,  on  nomination  of  tiie 
President,  after  approval  by  the  Cabinet. 

The  Junior  Epworth  League  is  an  organization,  carried  on 
under  the  same  general  plan,  but  composed  of  boys  and  girls  nii- 
der  fourteen  years  of  age.  This  awakens  an  interest  in  the 
Church  in  early  3'ears,  and  builds  about  the  lives  of  the  mem- 
bers a  defense  of  strength  by  which,  they  ma}'  resist  later  attacks 
of  the  "wily  adversary." 

The  motto  of  the  League  Badge,  "  Look  up — Lift  up,"  is 
most  suggestive  of  the  object  of  the  organization,  and  when 
made  the  purpose  of  the  daily  life  must  be  a  power  for  good  felt 
through  the  ages  of  eternitj'. 


BAPTIST   YOUNG    PEOPLE'S   UNION   OF    AMERICA. 

In  1S91  a  call  was  issued  for  a  convention  of  the  }()nng 
people  of  the  Baptist  church  in  America  to  meet  in  Chicago  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  an  international  organization.  The  call 
was  responded  to  by  2,900  Christian  workers  of  that  denomina- 
tion and  an  organization  was  formed  under  the  name  of  the  Bap- 
tist Young  People's  Union  of  America. 

A  second  convention  was  held  at  Detroit,  in  1892,  where 
there  was  an  attendance  of  over  4,100,  and  the  plans  for  work 
were  broadened  and  elaborated. 

The  third  international  convention  was  held  in  Indianapolis 
in  July,  1S93,  where  the  attendance  was  fully  equal  to  the  meet- 
ing of  the  previous  year  at  Detroit,  and  the  reports  of  the  Board 
of  Managers  and  officers  showed  a  year  of  successful  work. 


SOCIETIKS — BAPTIST    VOU>,G   PKIOPLK'S    UNION. 


131 


As  stated  in  the  International  Constitntion,  the  object  of  the 
org^anization  is  ''for  the  nnification  of  Baptist  j'onng  people; 
their  increased  spirituality;  their  stimulation  in  Christian  service; 
their  edification  in  Scripture  knowledge;  their  instruction  in 
Baptist  doctrine  and  history,  and  their  enlistment  in  all  mission- 
ary activity  through  existing  denominational  organizations." 

The  membership  of  the  Union  consists  of  accredited  dele- 
gates from  Young  People's  Societies  in  Baptist  churches,  and 
from  Baptist  churches  having  no  Young  People's  organization. 
The  officers  consist  of  a  President,  three  Vice-Presidents,  a  Re- 
cording Secretary,  and  a  Treasurer.  The  Board  of  Managers  is 
made  up  of  the  officers  of  the  Union  and  one  additional  member 
for  each  State,  Province,  Territory  and  country  represented  in 
the  annual  meeting. 

Beside  the  International  Organization,  the  States,  Provinces, 
Territories,  etc.,  are  organized,  and  these,  in  turn,  are  supple- 
mented by  Associational  organizations  to  which  the  Local  organi- 
zations or  Unions  are  tributary.  The  plan  is  representative  and 
has  proved  an  abundant  success. 

Of  course  the  local  Unions  are  where  the  work  is  done. 
These  are  thoroughly  systematic  and  labor  largel}'  through  com- 
mittees, though  individual  christian  work  is  not  neglected. 
They  provide  for  eight  distinct  lines  of  work,  each  being  in 
charge  of  a  committee.  These  are  as  follows :  Committee  on 
Alembership,  who  has  charge  of  the  distribution  of  invitation 
cards ;  bringing  in  new  members,  and  encouraging  and  interest- 
ing them  in  the  work.  Devotional  Committee,  which  arranges  for 
devotional  meetings ;  provides  topics,  singing  books,  leaders  and 
organist,  and  seeks  to  promote  the  interest  of  thjse  meetings ; 
the  Committee  on  Instruction,  which  is  charged  with  the  ar- 
rangement of  Bible  study,  lectures  on  religious  topics,  and 
courses  of  general,  denominational,  and  missionary  reading  and 
instruction.  Social  Committee,  whose  duties  are  to  call  upon 
and  welcome  strangers;  provide  for  sociables,  and  extend  the 
acquaintance  of  the  membership.     The  committee  on  Tracts  and 


i:.2 


THE   WHITE   CITV  —  SOCIETIES. 


IIBI 

liHbj! 


11 


Publications  provides  for  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  tracts 
and  other  current  denominational  literature.  The  Missionary 
Committee  divides  the  territory  of  the  church  into  districts ;  se- 
cures visitors;  seeks  new  scholars  for  the  Sunday  school ;  visits 
absent  scholars ;  assists  the  pastor  in  securing  contributions  for 
missions  and  other  objects,  and  seeks  to  inspire  the  young  with 
a  true  christian  spirit.  The  Committee  on  Temperance,  distrib- 
utes literature  on  the  subject;  arranges  for  meetings,  and  seeks 
to  diffuse  a  spirit  of  temperance  in  the  community".  The  Ex- 
ecutive Committee,  consisting  of  ihe  pastor  and  officers  of  the 
Union,  considers  all  matters  of  business  and  reports  to  the  church 
the  progress  of  the  work. 

There  is  a  course  of  Daily  Bible  Reading  prescribed  and  a 
Weekly  Bible  Study.  The  meetings  of  the  Unions  comprise  the 
Prayer  Meeting,  the  Conquest  fleeting  and  the  Monthly  Sym- 
posium. 

Different  portions  of  the  country  are  designated  by  different 
colors:  The  Convention  color  is  White;  the  color  for  Canada 
is  Scarlet;  for  the  Northern  States,  east  of  the  Mississippi,  Gold; 
for  the  Northern  States,  west  of  the  Mississippi,  Blue;  and  for 
the  Southern  States,  Olive  Green. 

While  the  Union  is  only  two  years  old,  it  has  now  not  less 
than  4,500  local  Unions,  in  thirty  diiferent  States  and  Provinces. 
and  about  300  Associate  Unions. 

An  official  organ  called  the  Young  People's  Union  is  a  bright, 
newsy  paper  published  at  Chicago. 


ires, tracts 
Vlissionary 
Jtricts ;  se- 
ool;  visits 
)utious  for 
ouiig  with 
ce,  distrib- 
aiid  seeks 
The  Ex- 
;ers  of  the 
the  church 


ibed  and  a 
mprise  the 
thly  Sym- 


)y  different 
"or  Canada 
lippi,  Gold; 
.e;  and  for 

D\v  not  less 
Provinces, 


is  a  bright, 


